Tales of A Broken Heart
by ishxallxgood
Summary: A tale of love and heartache, of losing a piece of his heart. Of a void which could not be filled, not even with the hearts of a 100 pirates. Why did Trafalgar Law decided to collect 100 hearts? Will he find the missing piece of his heart... Law x OC
1. See You Again

_**A/N: Inspiration for this chapter provided by Charlie Puth's See you again.**_

 _ **I own nothing.**_

* * *

It was a quiet night, and all was calm inside the yellow submarine as it made its way silently along an underwater current. Deep inside the submarine the Captain sat, hidden away in his office behind a mountain of books. The dim light of the musty room did not offer much in terms of illumination, the only thing it managed to highlight was the lone figure sitting stoically at his desk. A book laid open on his lap, untouched, his gaze, unfocused on something off in the distance.

Nights were the worst for him, especially quiet nights like this, with nothing to distract him from the aching inside his heart. He hated it, that feeling of emptiness, which he could never fill, not even with all the hearts of the people responsible.

Why was it that he could never hold on to the people who meant the most to him, why was it that everytime he opened his heart to someone they had to be ripped from his life? It was not fair, but it was his reality, and for the first time, he resolved that he would not allow this slight to consume him. The life Corazon offered him was far too precious for him to throw away, that much he knew. Besides, if he did, he knew she would never forgive him, not in this life nor the next.

Suddenly, the figure moved. The tall, lanky man stood, removing the furry hat from his head, he stared at it affectionately for a moment, before placing it down gently on top of one of the many stacks of books and ran a hand through his unruly black hair.

"It's been a long day without you my friend, and I'll tell you all about it when I see you again. We've come a long way from where we began, oh I'll tell you all about it when I see you again." He said as his eyes trailed back to the hat.

His voice was hoarse and low, laced with all the emotions he attempted to contain deep inside. There were so many things he wanted to say, so many things he never got a chance to say, so many things that will forever remain unsaid. Reaching out he gripped the top of the hat and felt his heart clench within him.

"Why'd you have to leave so soon? Why'd you have to go? Why'd you have leave me when I needed you the most?"

It was the first time he had acknowledged her since that day, it had been too painful for him. What could he possibly say to make that sinking feeling in his gut go away? He wanted to believe she was in a better place, along with all the other people he had ever loved, but it was too painful for him to imagine her anywhere but by his side.

"...Carry on," he heard himself whisper, "Please give me all the strength I need to carry on."

Letting out a heavy sigh he removed his hand from the furry object and slowly made his way toward the door, hoping that for once sleep would not eluded him, the way it seemed to every night since that incident.

" _Hey! Watch out!"_

 _A voice rang out behind him in warning, a second too late, as the owner of the voice barreled into him knocking him off his feet._

" _I'm so sorry!" The young woman said, scrambling to get off of him as she nervously glances behind her. "Shit!" She spits under her breath._

 _Pushing her off, he manages to grab his nodachi and stand, before a group of about a dozen men surround them._

" _I'm so sorry," she apologizes again, her eyes darting between his nodachi and the men, "but do you mind giving me a hand?"_

 _Before he has a chance to reply, she had already leapt in the air, launching what looked like flurry of senbon needles at the group of men. Sighing in exasperation, reluctant to get involved, he unsheathes his sword and yells "room," before decapitating the men surrounding them._

 _It was over almost as quickly as it began, yet something was still unsettling him. Glancing around his eyes fall on the crumpled body of the girl, lying a few feet from him. It surprises him to see her in such a state, she had been so lively a moment ago, and against his better judgement he slowly walks over and gently picks her up._

 _As he lifts her up, he can feel her body tense, her breaths coming in in short gasps, as her eyes crack open. The hand she held clutched upon her chest relaxes slightly as her eyes survey the scene, taking in the incapacitated bodies of the men attempting to catch her. Weakly, she turns her head, her golden eyes finding their way up to meet his. As they slowly focus on his face he could hear the almost audible gasp she lets out, as a glint of recognition flashes in her eyes._

" _D… d… doctor… Tra… Tra… Trafa..." She attempts before slipping out of consciousness._

 _He feels a scowl begin to form on his face as he continues to stare at the girl in his arms. If he was not mistaken the name she was trying to say, was his, or maybe perhaps his father's. He could not be sure. What he was sure of was the fact that he had never seen this girl before._

" _Captain!"_

 _The familiar voice pulls him from his thoughts as he turns to find a few members of his crew running toward him, led by his trusty first mate._

" _Bepo-ya." He says, acknowledging the bear._

" _What happened here?" The white bear inquires, gesturing at the headless men littered around his Captain._

" _Just giving the girl a hand." He replies, tilting his head slightly toward the girl in his arms._

" _Is she okay?" Bepo asks cautiously, approaching the man._

 _He felt his frown intensify, "I'm not sure Bepo-ya. One second she was fine, the next like this."_

 _The rest of the crew gather around them and he does a quick assessment of her body. There were no physical injuries, an attestment to her abilities, which made his lips twist into a slight smirk. No, her current state was not due to an injury attained during her scuffle with those men, which would mean it must be the result of a pre-existing condition. He needed more time with her, so he could do a proper examination, something inside him urged him to fix her._

 _Once he got her into the sub and onto the examination table, it did not take him long to conclude that she had hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. All it really took was one look at her heart. He did the best he could to cut away at some of the excess muscle that was restricting her blood flow, but it was only a temporary fix. In a few months or so, the hypertrophy would cause the buildup to return, giving her issues again._

 _As he sat there waiting for her to awaken, he could not help but wonder how it was she knew his name. Sure, he was a pirate, probably had a wanted poster out there, it was possible she caught his name in the papers, but the doctor part, no one referred to him as 'Doctor Trafalgar'... Trafalgar Law, Surgeon of Death, sure, but Doctor Trafalgar… that was new to him. Choosing to ignore that little voice in the back of his mind which kept suggesting that perhaps she knew his father, he decided that it had to have been related the the Surgeon of Death thing._

" _Excuse me?"_

 _Her voice was small, and cautious as it pulls him from his slumber. Opening his eyes he could feel a small smile settle on his lips as he take in her face. There was something about her that drew him to her. Try as he might he could not quite put his finger on it._

 _Sure, she was pretty, with delicate features and an appealing body, but it was not as if he had never had the company of a pretty girl before. No, she was different. Pretty girls were a dime a dozen, but there was something special about her. Those golden eyes of hers bore into his soul and demanded his attention._

 _Fixing his eyes on hers he gives her a slight nod, indicating for her to continue._

" _Thank you." She says earnestly, as she takes her time examining his face before she continues. "You look a lot like him you know."_

 _Raising an eyebrow at her, a small frown settles on his lips. "Like who?"_

" _Doctor Trafalgar."_

 _The little voice in his head mocks him, telling him that he should have listened, that it always knew what it was talking about. "You knew my father?"_

 _She nods, a sadness filling her eyes, telling him she was all too aware of the fate his father suffered, that they all suffered. "He treated me before, many years ago, in a place so far away."_

 _He could hear the melancholy in her voice, and it invokes memories within him that he had long ago suppressed. It was unsettling, he did not like these feelings she was conjuring up within him. He had spent far too many years suppressing them to have them surface now._

" _I'm sorry." She says suddenly, breaking him from the downward spiral into his emotions. A sudden warmth fills him as she flashes him a bright smile. "It must have been hard on you… I wasn't aware anyone had survived…" Her voice trails slightly before it picks up again. "But hey, you kept the hat."_

 _Instinctively, his hand protectively shoots up to the furry hat on his head._

 _He flinches as she hops off the table, removing the monitors he had placed on her body. Closing the distance between them she stops in front of him, her eyes still fixed upon his hat. "Oh, it's a different hat." She muses, a hint of disappointment in her voice._

 _She was so close he could feel the warmth radiating off her body. As if entranced, he removes his hand from his head, lifting the object as he does so. "This?" He asks, holding the hat out to her. He watches her carefully as she gingerly takes the hat, turning it around in her hands. "I got it a couple of years ago. The other one got too small."_

 _"Oh." She mouths, placing the hat back onto his head. "Do you still have it?"_

 _Her question is met with silence, and she pouts at the perplexed look he gives her. For a moment in time the only thought that ran through his mind was 'cute.'_

 _"The hat. Do you still have the hat?" She clarifies._

 _His lips tighten as his brows furrow slightly. He had understood her question the first time, what confused him was why she was so fixated on his hat. "Possibly." He replies, as the corners of his mouth curve into a cryptic smirk._

 _Suddenly, she laughs, not a mocking laugh, but one full of love and mirth. The sound takes him by surprise, he had not been expecting that. Meeting her eyes his stomach does a flip as his heart rate increases. Her smile was captivating, and it manages to draw him out of the dark corner he had hidden himself in for so many years._

 _"You don't remember me do you?" She asks in a chuckle, her eyes twinkling with joy._

 _He wanted to shake his head no, but before he could, memories once lost to him came flooding back. Memories of a happier time, of a happier him. Memories of the little girl not more than six years old, with a smile that shone brighter than the sun, and the fuzzy white hat she wore. "Azarashi-ya?" He asks in a whisper._

 _She laughs again, the sound, music to his ears. Slowly she draws even closer to him, her arms begin to snake around his neck, pulling him into an embrace,_ then his eyes fluttered open.

He scowled as a loud knock pulled him out of his much needed sleep and the dream dissipated from his mind. "Come in," He commanded groggily.

"Captain?" Came a meek voice as the door opened a crack, letting in a sliver of light. A furry head appeared in the crack, his face falling when he saw his Captain sit up in bed. "I'm sorry, I didn't know you were sleeping…"

"No, no it's okay Bepo-ya." He said in a tired voice, cutting off the bear. "What's up?"

"We found it."

In an instant, the man leapt out of bed, forgetting all about his need for sleep, and grabbed the furry hat before he bounded out the door, a flustered polar bear in an orange jumpsuit quickly following after him.

It did not take long for him to reach the control room, confirm Bepo's words and begin to surface the submarine.

He knew it would not make a difference, that no matter what he did, no matter how many hearts he collected, nothing could ever bring back that smile. That smile that pierced through his heart and filled him with warmth, it was lost, tossed into the sea along with what remained of his heart. No, nothing he did now could undo the events of that day, but it did not mean that he would not hunt down those bastards and annihilate every last one of them.

When the submarine surfaced, he was the first one out the door, followed closely by his first mate and the rest of his crew. He was glad that they approved of his vendetta, that they did not think any less of him for doing what it was he was doing. He knew that Bepo and the rest understood his reasoning, he knew that they loved her just about as much as he did, albeit differently.

His eyes followed the horizon landing on a outline of a ship a few hundred meters away. A small sadistic smirk graced his lips as the submarine silently moved closer closing the distance between the two vessels..

It was not much of a battle as the Heart Pirates made easy work of the other ship. Their Captain, was as ruthless as ever, and by the end he was able to add a few dozen hearts to his collection, while the crew collected the rest of the loot.

Closing the box he let his body fall back into his chair. Kicking his feet up, he rested them on the lid and removed his hat. There was a tightness in his chest as he lost himself in those spots littered around the bottom rim.

"How do I breathe without you?" He found himself asking the inanimate object. "I'm feeling so cold… but I'll be right here waiting for ya, till the day you're home."


	2. Heart

Bepo was depressed. Not the, _yes I'm a talking bear_ , depressed, but genuinely down and out depressed. In fact, it was so bad that Shachi and Penguin, the duo who were usually responsible for the bear's dejected moods, were concerned.

They had approached him to talk about what was wrong, but Bepo did not want to talk about it. How could he? If he were to voice his sorrows, then everyone on the submarine would become depressed, and he did not want that. Not when everyone had just found a reason to smile that day.

The air had been heavy inside that yellow submarine for far too long, ever since the day none of them could do anything when the heart of the Heart Pirates was ripped from them. Their Captain had not been the same since, not that any of them expected him to, considering he was the one closest to her, and that was in short, what was depressing Bepo.

He did not like it when his best friend and Captain was sad, for it made him sad. He had hoped that taking out that one ship would have lifted Law's mood a little, but it did not. Once it was over he just retreated back into his office, closing himself off from everyone again. Bepo had been so hopeful that morning when he realized that Law had actually slept the night before, that was something new, but it had been six hours since they took down that ship and Law had made no effort to leave his office, not even to eat.

Bepo pondered what he should do while he stood outside the Captain's office. He knew that Law would have welcomed his company, but he was just unsure of what kind of company he could possibly provide considering his current mental state. The last thing he wanted to do was upset his Captain more. So it was with a heavy heart that he shuffled away from the door, returning to his own quarters and plopped down onto his bed.

Trafalgar Law knew his first mate had been outside his door, for what seemed like hours, but he just could not bring himself to say "come in." He knew his mood had been affecting the bear for the better part of the day, week, month, he had lost count. Kicking the box his feet had been resting on, he let out a low growl and he placed the hat back on his head. He had hoped that they would have been able to find some more information, but it was just another dead end. Nobody knew anything, and all he found was another empty box of SMILE and a bunch of useless hearts. No, perhaps the hearts were not _useless,_ they were a means to an end. Glaring at the box, a wayward thought filtered through his mind, stirring a memory he had long tucked away.

Crossing the room he gently pulled an old hat off a shelf, bracing himself as he glanced inside it. He was not sure what it was he was expecting to find, but as he pulled out that small transparent cube, his breath hitched in his throat. The small object in hand emitted a slow, steady, beat, startling him. Setting the hat back onto the shelf he made his way back to his desk and plopped down in his chair, entranced by the object in his hand.

Lost in the rhythmic thumping of the heart, he wondered if she would have approved of what he was doing now. She probably would have, a little voice in his head said. Despite the fact that she valued the lives of others highly, she had been willing to go along with his plan to take down Doflamingo. Still, it was hard to say whether or not she would have actually approved of his current quest. Her moods and morals were so random at times, but he was sure she would have understood why he was doing what he was. Besides, he had not diverged that far from the original plan, the plan that she had helped devise, all he did was amend the route it took for him to complete the first step.

The heart in his hand skipped a beat, unsettling him as it increased in speed for a moment, as if it was disagreeing with his assessment of whether or not she cared. He let out the breath he was not aware he was even holding, as the the heart he held tenderly in his hand settled back down and reverted to that slow, steady pulse. Turning the heart he examined it closely, taking in all its familiar scars and imperfections. How anyone could think a heart so beautiful and pure was anything but perfect was beyond him.

" _Thank you again." She breathed, her arms around his neck as her head rested softly on his shoulder._

" _There's no need to thank me." He replied, patting her softly on the head. He had not known what it was he was getting into when he had made the decision to help her, but knowing who she was now, he had no regrets. "I couldn't just leave you there unconscious on the street."_

 _Suddenly she pulled away, releasing him from her embrace, to his dismay, and took a step back. "That's right! I passed out. Where are we now? What happened to those guards?"_

 _Terror filled her golden eyes, as she frantically turned about, taking in the room they were currently in. He could see the confusion consume her as she failed to recognize her surroundings._

" _Don't worry, I took care of them. We're in my submarine now. They can't get to you here."_

 _Her eyes snapped to him, fear subsiding slightly as they locked into his calm, collected eyes. He could tell she was still frantic though, as he could practically feel her heart beating out of her chest. "Are we still on that island?" She asked, her voice trembling._

 _A small frown tugged at the corner of his lips, knowing she would not like the answer to her question. "Yes."_

" _We need to leave now!" She yelled, grabbing onto his sweatshirt and shaking him. "You have no idea, they will find me here..."_

 _Just as he was about to reassure her, Bepo's voice came out over the intercom. "Captain! The Marines are here! They're demanding we release the girl. What do you want us to do?"_

 _She froze in terror, all the color draining from her face as she unclenched her hands. "You cannot let them get me. I cannot go back there." She whispered, her voice barely audible, as she collapsed onto her knees._

 _Squatting down to her level he gently lifted her chin so she could see the conviction in his eyes. "I won't let them take you. I promise."_

 _Without warning she threw her arms around his neck again, burying her face into the crook of his neck, as the tears streamed down her face. "I'm so sorry Law, I'm so sorry…"_

" _Hey, now Azarashi-ya, no need for all that." He said softly, lifting her up in his arms. "We'll take care of those guys, no problem."_

" _CAPTAIN!" The bear's voice rang out over the intercom again, but before he could get out another word in, the submarine jolted as a motor impacted it._

" _Shit." He cursed under his breath. Hurrying out of the medical ward, he quickly made his way deeper into the submarine, and deposited her onto the couch in his office. "Stay there, I'll be right back." He said before taking off, not that he believed she would actually go anywhere._

" _Bepo-ya, prepare to push off and dive. Shachi-ya, Penguin-ya, go assess the damage. I'll take care of the Marines." He ordered when he made his way into the command center._

" _Aye-aye Captain." The trio exclaimed before hurrying off to carry out his orders._

 _Bepo stopped abruptly, looking over toward him just as he was about to exit the room. "Wait, what about the girl?"_

 _Looking back toward his first mate, a small smile crept onto his lips. "We're keeping her." He replied, noting the wave of relief which washed over the bear's face._

 _Stepping out onto the upper deck he was impressed with the amount of Marines sent to the harbor to retrieve one little girl. Whoever it was that she was running from, certainly was not letting her go without a fight, but if it was a fight they wanted, he was more than happy to oblige. Activating his ROOM, he quickly encased the surrounding area in the transparent blue sphere and repelled the incoming mortars before the yellow submarine could take any additional damage. A sadistic smile spread across his face as he unsheathed his nodachi and swung, easily cutting through the Marine Company, displacing limbs and heads as he saw fit._

 _Once the submarine moved out of range, he deactivated his ROOM and secured the hatch. For the moment he knew they were safe, tucked safely inside a now fully submerged submarine, no Marine or guard would be able to retrieve her. Although he had a feeling that the next time they docked, Marines would be on their tail again. There was no doubt in his mind that they had probably put out a broadcast for the girl by now._

 _When he returned to her, she was in the same position he had left her in, tucked away in the corner of the couch, knees drawn up with her face buried in her arms. This sad, terrified girl was not the Azarashi from his past, he remembered a cheerful, little girl with a smile which shone brighter than the sun. Staring at her, he concluded that he did not like this look on her, and that he would do everything within his power to ensure that she would never lose that smile again._

" _Hey," he said softly, as he slowly approached her, taking a seat next to her._

 _Lifting her head enough to confirm it was him, she shifted over and leaned into him. It brought a small smile to his face, when she seemed to calm down slightly, her body relaxing against his. "I'm so sorry Law." She whispered again._

" _There's nothing to apologize for, Azarashi-ya." He replied, instinctively putting his arm around, pulling her closer into him._

 _A slight tremor passed through her body and she wiped at the tears falling from her eyes. "No, you just don't understand. There's so much to be sorry for... and you would hate me if you knew."_

" _I don't think that is possible."_

 _Letting out a long sigh she attempted to reign in her emotions as she clung to him. When she finally looked up at him, he could see the turmoil in her beautiful eyes, and a pain he understood all too well. "I…" she started apprehensively, and then stopped, pulling her eyes away from his she hung her head again. "... They'll never stop chasing me."_

 _He let out a small chuckle, "Marines I can take care of, they would chase me whether or not you were here. That is not what is bothering you. What is it that you're running from?"_

 _She shook her head. "If I told you, you'd hate me."_

" _Try me." He said, giving her shoulder a reassuring squeeze._

 _She shook her head again and buried her face into his chest. "No, you'll hate me." She mumbled into his sweatshirt._

 _He placed his hand gently on her head. If she did not want to talk about it, he was not going to push her. Besides, he would probably find out in the morning paper. Considering the amount of men they sent after her, he would not be surprised if there was a mention of her, along with a new Wanted Poster of him. In the meantime, he was more than content to just sit there with her and allow the events of the day to wash over them._

 _A soft knock on the door pulled him from the nap he had not intended to take. Shifting the girl onto the couch he stood and rotated his neck, letting out an audible cracking noise. Silently, he closed the distance between the couch and the door, cracking it open just enough to communicate with the person on the other side._

" _Bepo-ya. Shachi-ya. Penguin-ya." He said slowly, acknowledging the three people standing outside his door._

" _You missed dinner." Bepo said apologetically, holding out a tray of curiously shaped onigiri._

 _Raising an eyebrow he glanced between the rice balls and the trio, giving them a curious look, silently questioning what was he was looking at._

" _Sorry." Bepo said, his face darkening, which made him chuckle slightly._

" _We made them for you Captain." Shachi said cheerfully. "Penguin made the ones that look like they were mauled by a bear."_

" _Sorry." The bear apologized again, even though it had nothing to do with him._

" _We made you some tea too." Penguin added shooting Shachi a dirty look. "Mauled by a bear my ass." He muttered under his breath._

 _He laughed softly to himself, they were endearing, and he graciously took the food and tea from them._

" _How's the girl? Do you think she's hungry too?" Penguin asked. "I can go make some more."_

" _It's okay Penguin-ya," He said, cutting off whatever retort Shachi was about to make. "She's still resting, and I'm sure this is plenty."_

" _That's good." Bepo said, a smile returning to his face. "They sure did send a lot of people to retrieve her." He said scratching at the back of his neck._

" _Oh right, that reminds me." Shachi said suddenly, handing him a backpack. "We picked that up back when you found her. Pretty sure it belongs to her."_

 _He nodded, taking the backpack from Shachi. "I'll be sure to get it to her. By the way, feel free to surface whenever you want."_

" _Aye-aye Captain." Bepo exclaimed excitedly before dragging the other two off, to presumably surface the submarine._

 _Closing the door he deposited the backpack down by the couch before making his way over to his desk to consume his dinner. Settling down, he could not help the smile which broke across his face when noticed the love his friends had poured out into his food; even the ones that looked like they were mauled by a bear._

 _He awoke when the morning when the sun filtered in through the series of round portholes littered throughout the back wall of his office. He was sore, and his shoulders were stiff. He really needed to stop falling asleep in his chair when there was a nice comfortable bed in the room next door. Letting out a sigh he placed the book on his lap back onto his desk and stood up, stretching his arms across his chest, he released the tension in his shoulder blades with a loud pop._

 _Looking over at the girl on the couch, it was not surprising to him to see that she was still asleep. She had had a rough day, even without the heart condition he could see how she would have been exhausted. Staring at her peaceful face, a thought suddenly entered his mind. He quickly crossed the room and pulled out the old hat from a box on a shelf, depositing it on her head before he exited the room to fetch breakfast and a copy of the morning paper._

 _As he correctly assumed, the newspaper informed him of everything he needed to know about her, and he was not surprised that she did not want to tell him. He was not quite sure how he actually felt about the situation, his initial reaction was anger. A white, blinding anger which resulted in him fist connecting with the metal hull of the ship leaving a dent which would have to be banged out later. Even Bepo had recoiled in fear at his reaction, none of them fully understanding what it was that got him so angry. He was glad she did not tell him the night before. It was better this way. He could process everything without his emotions getting in the way._

 _She was right. He probably would have hated her in that moment if she had told him. It was an irrational hate though, one that probably should not have been aimed toward her directly, that much he knew, or at least chose to believe. There was no way she was a monster like the rest of them, one cannot choose the family they were born into, but at the same time, it was difficult for him to separate her from her title for the moment._

 _By the time he finished his breakfast his anger had subsided immensely, though if his thoughts lingered too long on the contents of the paper he could feel it rising again. Choosing to spare his crew from any more unwanted violence on his part, he decided to retreat back to his office, where he could properly process the information before him. The moment he saw her he knew that he could never truly hate her. Even learning who she was, he could not help that feeling of warmth which coursed through his body, causing his heart to increase in speed and his mind to lose all reasoning. Her very being beckoned him, and calmed the storm within his heart._

 _Settling back down behind his desk he decided that he would not draw any conclusions about her until he heard what she had to say. Setting the paper down, he picked up the latest copy of 'Epidemiological Reviews' in an attempt to clear his mind._ _Movement on the couch drew his attention away from the medical journal he had been reading. Lowering the magazine he watched as she slowly sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. As she lowered her hands, a slight panic filled her for a moment as her eyes darted wildly around the unfamiliar room until they finally settled on him. He offered her a small smile, as understanding finally settled in her foggy eyes._

" _So it wasn't a dream." She said groggily._

" _No, not a dream."_

" _So… you're real? And not a figment of my imagination? And… I actually got away?" She asked, letting out a yawn._

" _I'm as real as they come, and you're free."_

" _Free," she breathed, "ain't that something." She stretched her arms over her head, stopping abruptly when she brushed the soft fur of the hat on her head. Yanking it off her head she let out a squeal as she hugged the object tightly. "This… this..." Her eyes sprang to him again, that brilliant smile plastered on her face._

" _... Is your hat." He finished for her, a smirk playing against his lips. "Hime-sama." He added sardonically as he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees as he stared intently at her._

 _She froze, the smile melting away as she shrank back into the couch, the hat clutched tightly. "How…?" Was all she managed to get out._

" _It was in the paper this morning." He replied flatly, the smirk still playing on his lips. He was still unsure about how he felt about this news. Luckily, he had already allowed most of his emotions to run its course before she had awaken, and all he wanted now was to hear what she had to say._

 _She sat there, frozen, her eyes fixed on the hat in her hands, refusing to meet his stare. "Do you hate me?" She asked nervously, her voice weak with fear of the answer as she fought back tears._

" _No." He stated._

 _Her eyes shot up to meet his, "No?" She whispered in confusion. "But… but…"_

 _He continued to stare intently at her, as he waited for her to proceed. A little part of him wished he had not broached the subject so soon, as he much preferred that the look of pure elation on her face over whatever it was she was feeling now._

" _I hate me…" she finally said and the tears pooled in her eyes. Drawing her knees up to her chest she curled into a ball again. "I hate all of them, my parents, my grandparents, the World Government, all those people who knew and did nothing for years…"_

 _Letting out a sigh, he slowly stood and made his way over to her. He had heard all he needed to hear to know that he most definitely did not hate her._ _He might hate her title, and the family she was born into, but there was no way he could actually hate her. Sure, he was still slightly angry, and quite sad, a little bit happy, and mostly sympathetic, but he certainly did not hate her. How could he possibly hate someone who felt so much, who cared so much, who actually gave a damn about the injustice of it all._

" _I was there you know," she continued, choking back a sob. "The day they sealed everyone's fate… I was there… and I couldn't do anything, couldn't say anything… I… I just stood there and let it happen."_

" _You were eight." He said, settling down next to her. He decided that he highly disliked this look on her._

 _Uncurling herself she drew closer to him as he sat down, burying her face into the hat she held as she suppressed another sob. "So? I was old enough to understand what they were planning… old enough to know it was wrong… and yet all I could do was stand there, as this useless heart of mine froze up… when they were talking about mass genocide… about murdering all the people who actually treated me like a real person… not some broken porcelain doll… all the people who looked at me with love and compassion and not pity… I just stood there stupidly, gasping for air…"_

 _He frowned, as she sat there trembling next to him. Words escaped him, what could he possibly say to alleviate her guilt? He knew what happened was not her fault, and that nothing she could have possibly said back then would have changed anything. She was just one little girl, trying to swim against a current that would only have swept her away and consumed her whole. Draping an arm around her shoulders he pulled her into him, silently comforting her._

" _I thought they killed you…" She sobbed. "Like they killed everyone else... They wouldn't even let them live out what little life they had left… I was so angry. So very very angry. A part of me felt like I should have died with everybody… I hate them so much. Those greedy, selfish, bastards who only care about themselves. They could have saved everyone… but no, they chose money and power instead… such trivial things were more important to them than the lives of hundreds, no thousands of people… and all for what? A city they just burnt to the ground anyway?"_

 _Images flashed before his eyes, and he suppressed that burning rage he thought he had already extinguished. He looked down at her, at that beautiful, fragile girl who went against the tide and chose to share his pain. It had never occurred to him that someone from that despicable family could have possibly cared. He had always assumed that they were all monsters, and if it had been up to him, he would have annihilated them all. If he had been offered the chance, he would have destroyed the whole Royal family, never knowing that she was amongst them, slowly dying inside. Shaking the thought from his head, he decided that he would have to thank Cora-san again. If it had not been for him, God knows what he would have done._

 _Taking a deep breath she unclenched the hat in her hands and puffed it back up, smoothing out the matted fur, wet with her tears. "I never in a million years dreamed that I would see you again. I never got to say goodbye to anyone. They just put me on a boat one day and told me there were other doctors out there, that there was no need to stay in Flevance."_

 _She looked up at him, trying to read the expression on his face. Giving up, she placed that hat on her head and leaned into him, shuddering every so often as she tried to calm her breathing. "I tried so many times to get away… So many times. I hated them so much... but every time this stupid, pathetic heart of mine gave out... and every time I ended up back there. They dragged my unconscious body back… every. single. time."_

" _Not every time." He offered with a slight flick of his hand._

 _She let out a slight scoff as she took his hand into her own, tracing the tattoos with her delicate fingers. "No, I suppose not." She retorted. "Not the last time... Because I literally ran into you."_

" _Funny how life works."_

" _Yea." She breathed. "Funny." Turning her body she drew her knees up again as she tucked herself into the crook of his arm, resting her head in the gap between his collarbone and shoulder. "You know I fought them every chance I got… God knows how many times I've tried to run away… every week for almost ten years… and every single time this useless heart of mine failed me, every single time I ended up unconscious on the street. I hate it so much. This stupid, defective heart of mine. I hate it."_

" _Don't say that," He said, as he pulled his hand out of hers and pushed the hat down on her head, noting the fact that it was slightly too small for her too. "Your heart is perfect."_

 _She scoffed and pushed his hand off her head. "I don't believe that."_

" _Well, you should. I've seen it, I would know." He deadpanned._

" _Hmm," she mused, pursing her lips, taking hold of his hand again. "I still don't believe it."_

 _A sly smirk spread across his lips and he activated ROOM with his free hand. Without warning he performed 'mes' and removed her heart from her chest._

 _She gaped at him, her eyes fixated on the organ he held in his hand._

" _See? It's perfect." He said playfully as she shot him an incredulous look. "Want to hold it?"_

" _No," She replied flatly as she pulled his hand closer to her so to get a better look. "I wouldn't want to drop it or something. Besides, I think it's safer in your hands."_

 _He chuckled softly as he turned the object in his hand. "Oh, you're trusting me with your heart?"_

 _A smile spread across her lips as she continued to stare at the heart in his hand. Trailing her eyes away from it she looked up at him, a slight blush dusting her cheeks. "I'm giving you my heart."_

The memory danced before his eyes as he stared at the heart in his hand. How long has it been since that day she gave him her heart? Years, but it felt like only yesterday. She was gone now, and all he had left of her were his memories and evidently her heart. Her heart which was now his last glimmer of hope, and for the first time in months, brought a small smile to his face.

His whole world had shattered the day he watched her vivre card disintegrate in his hands, signaling her demise. In that moment he had lost all sense of reasoning and there was nothing he could do but blindly chase after her. With no vivre card or log post to guide him, he was at the mercy of the seas as he continued on in the direction her lost vivre card had been pointing.

He did not find her that day, not even a body to mourn. The only thing he did find was a lone ship, abandoned in the sea. He had almost given up all hope that day, but then his crew pulled an empty crate of SMILE from the bowels of the ship. In that moment he realized that she had actually been on to something, he would not let her sacrifice be in vain. Besides, that empty crate was his key to finding her, and it just so happened that her fate was now intertwined with the mission he had been on all along. As long as he followed the SMILE he would not only obtain the vengeance he sought, but he would also find the missing piece of his heart.

It confused him though, that pulsating muscle in his hand. He did not know how, and he did not know why, but what he did know was that it was impossible. The destruction of her vivre card and the beating of the heart in his hand was a direct contradiction. The two could not possibly coexist, and yet, here it was, her heart, steadily beating, albeit at a pace slower than normal. He chose to believe that this meant she was still alive, that the object in his hand was not merely an illusion created by his mind as a means to alleviate the pain of losing her. He chose to believe that as long as it beat for him, she was still out there, waiting for him to find her again.

That slow, steady, drum would now be his guide, and he decided that as of right now, he would do any and everything to return it to her. Even if it meant that he would have to rip out the hearts of every single person who stood in his way.

* * *

 **a/n: I hope this clears up a little bit of the ambiguity of the previous chapter... thank you so much to those of you who reviewed and showed interest, y'all rock my socks.**


	3. Heart Pirates

"C'mon Bepo, this is getting ridiculous!" Shachi cried as the bear slowly shuffled into the kitchen and plopped down listlessly at the table.

Bepo chose to ignore the redhead's outburst, instead he swatted absent-mindedly at an orange. It was another morning, and just like every morning for the past two months and twenty-three days, Trafalgar Law was nowhere to be seen. He was not sure how much more of this he could take, and he had decided that he did not like mornings without Law.

"Shachi, leave him alone." Penguin said, uncharacteristically defending the bear as he took a seat next to the redhead. "You already know what's bothering him, the same thing that's bothering all of us. So give him a break."

Shachi could only gape at the man he believed to be his best friend. He sure looked like him, but it was entirely possible it was someone who just simply stole Penguin's hat and decided to parade around as him. He could not be sure, it certainly sounded like Penguin, but the words which came out of his mouth did not make any sense.

The orange finally rolled off the table and Bepo lifted his head slightly to look up at his friends. "I'm sorry." He said, sounding more depressed than usual.

A frown crossed Shachi's face as he caught the orange just as it was about to hit the floor. Deep inside he knew Penguin was right. That he probably should stop tormenting the bear. That he knew exactly what it is that was wrong. That he missed seeing his Captain around too. "What can we do?" He asked, peeling the orange.

"I don't know." Penguin replied, building a little tower with the discarded orange rinds. "We didn't get anywhere with that last ship we found yesterday. Captain's frustrated, you can see it in his eyes."

"We're doing all we can already... trying to find anything related to SMILE is a pain in the ass. We were lucky we even found that ship yesterday…" Shachi popped a slice of orange into his mouth and chewed thoughtfully. "I don't know what we're missing, Azarashi-chan made it seem so easy."

Suddenly Bepo popped up, displacing the little tower of orange rinds Penguin had so painstakingly stacked. "That's it!" He exclaimed slamming his paws down on the table.

The two men stared at him, unsure of what to make of the bear's sudden outburst. "What's it?" Shachi finally asked, when it became clear that Bepo had no intention of continuing.

"Azarashi-chan." The polar bear stated. As if everyone could understand what it was he was thinking just by simply saying her name.

It was Penguin's turn to frown. Now he was sure the bear had finally lost it. "What about Azarashi-chan?" He asked apprehensively, unsure of whether or not Bepo was having some sort of mental breakdown. "She's gone."

"I know," He replied, his face falling as he slumped back into his chair, that depressed look sinking back in. "But, her notes… there must be something useful in her notes."

Penguin and Shachi exchanged looks. What Bepo was saying made perfect sense. Azarashi had been working extensively on gathering information about SMILE. In fact, she had gotten closer than any of them had at uncovering anything, so astonishingly close that they had lost her.

"So…" Shachi said slowly, dragging out that one syllable word. "... who's going to go ask Captain for them?"

The three friends suddenly froze and grew eerily silent, the other members of the crew in the room watched them curiously wondering what their decision would be. Nobody in the room liked the idea of having to actually approach their Captain and request her notes. Almost three months ago, they had all decided that mentioning Azarashi around their Captain was taboo, as none of them could predict what his reaction would be, and none of them wanted to find out.

"I vote Bepo." Shachi finally said, breaking the silence.

"What no. I vote Shachi." The bear rebutted.

"Oh what grounds!?" Shachi exclaimed. "It makes the most sense for you to go… you're the first mate… you've known him the longest… and you're the one he likes the most."

"But... you're more useful to him as you can actually assist him in the medical ward. He wouldn't do anything to jeopardize that…" Bepo countered, knowing his argument was weak.

Shachi scoffed. "I'm irreplaceable? Do you really think that, _navigator_?" The redhead disputed, emphasizing the last word.

"Well, if he were to kill you, he would have done so already with all the ridiculous pranks the two of you pull. So I still vote you."

"That is such a weak argument. You do realize… HE ACTUALLY CUT US UP BEFORE. Right?" Shachi shouted, shuddering at the memory. "You could literally sleep with his woman and he wouldn't give a damn."

"It is not my fault no one in their right mind would trust you with their woman!" Bepo declared, shaking an accusing paw at Shachi.

"Hey guys…" Penguin interrupted, as he nervously glanced toward the door, a shaky laugh escaping his lips. When they ignored him and continued their banter he let out a sigh, and shouted, "GUYS!"

"PENGUIN!" They both exclaimed at the same time turning toward him, leaving their argument hanging in the air.

"I change my vote to Penguin." Bepo said pointing the man with the penguin hat.

"I second it." Shachi said giving Bepo a high five.

"Traitor," Penguin breathed glaring at Shachi. "But what I was trying to say is…"

"What the hell are you guys even arguing about?" A slow, smooth voice said, from the entrance to the room, with a hint of amusement.

"CAPTAIN!" Everyone except Penguin, who had already noticed that he had been standing there, exclaimed as they leapt to their feet. All at once everyone began to run toward their Captain only to be pushed aside by Bepo who raced up to him and enveloped him in a big _bear_ hug. Words could not begin to express the love, joy, and relief the polar bear felt in that moment.

"Captain!~" Bepo said tenderly again, giving his Captain another squeeze before releasing him. "Shachi is being mean to me again."

"What no!" Shachi exclaimed. "If anything Bepo's the one being mean to me!"

Law let out a small chuckle, from what he caught they were both going at each other, although admittedly the subject matter was rather amusing. "Shachi-ya," he said, a hint of warning in his voice as his lips twisted into a slight smirk, "stop picking on Bepo-ya."

"WHAT!?" Shachi exclaimed in exasperation. "That's… that's… forget it." Giving the bear a dirty look he mumbled, "figures, always takes the stupid bear's side."

Bepo glared back at Shachi and stuck out his tongue before turning his attention back to Law. "Captain!~" He squealed when he noticed the expression on his best friend's face, joy emanating from his body, "You smiled!" He exclaimed excitedly, pulling Law back into another hug, and just like that, Bepo was no longer depressed.

Bepo may have been the one to voice it, but everyone else in the room had seen it too. With the appearance of that smile, it seemed as if the heavy fog that had been lingering inside that yellow submarine for the past few months had finally lifted. In that moment, nobody cared what it was that made him have a change of heart, but what they did know what that they finally had their Captain back, and that made them happier than if they had actually found the One Piece.

"So, Captain…" Penguin started, unsure of whether it was a good idea to actually breach the question now. Everyone was so happy, and he did not want to be the one to ruin the mood. "We were wondering…"

"Yes Penguin-ya?"

Bepo released Law again, a dark shadow passing over his face as he understood what it was Penguin was going to say. Nervously, he fidgeted with his paws, praying that his Captain would not retreat back to his hole and leave them all depressed again.

"Well… we were just talking about how we weren't really making that much progress…" Penguin started again, shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot, he really did not want to bring her up.

Shachi sighed and decided to bite the bullet and get it over with. "We were wondering if we could take a look at Azarashi-chan's notes."

At the mention of her notes, the smile faded from his face and his body stiffened. Her notes, of course. Why had he not thought of looking through her notes sooner, although he already knew the answer laid within the fact that he was avoiding anything even remotely related to her. It would have saved them so much time and energy, if only he had not been so absorbed in his own pain. She had been the one to find that first ship, and her disappearance meant that she had definitely been onto something. If they had just reviewed the information she had gathered earlier perhaps they would have gotten that much closer to finding the answers they needed.

"It was Bepo's idea!" Shachi threw out there when a slight scowl passed across Law's face, causing all of them to wonder if they had made the right decision in asking.

"I'm sorry." Bepo said, lowering his head.

Law looked around at his friends and subordinates, and for the first time noticed how on edge they all were. They were all trying so hard for his sake, and he had not realized how his emotions were affecting them. It made him so happy to know how loved he was, and they filled his heart with such warmth. He had never intended to abandon them the way he did, he had just been so lost with the thought of losing her. He saw it now though, how much they needed him, and how much he actually needed them. Offering them a small smile he placed a hand on Shachi's head. "It's okay Shachi-ya." He said softly, "That is actually a really good idea."

The room seemed to let out a breath of relief, and the trio happily embraced their Captain. Losing Azarashi had been hard enough for all of them, and ever since that day, it almost seemed like they had lost their Captain too. They did not blame him though, they all knew how much harder losing her must have impacted him. Which is why they opted to give him his space, even though they, Bepo especially, all missed his presence.

Entering the his office, Law gestured for them to take a seat on the couch. Bepo let out a small sigh as he made his way over to the couch, leaving a gap by the right arm before plopping down. He knew he did not have to leave a space for her, she was gone, but he could not help it. He had grown so accustomed to her being there, taking up that space with a notebook on her lap and that bright smile on her face. How Law kept himself holed up in that room was beyond him, everything in there reminded him of her.

"Here." Law said, placing two large boxes of various notebooks and papers down on the table in front of the couch. "I believe that's everything. Enjoy."

"Wait, you're not going to help us, Captain?" Shachi asked staring at the massive amount of material they had in front of them to go through.

"No." Law stated bluntly. "I have other work to do."

Picking up a random notebook Bepo began get flip through the pages, a curious look crossing his face as he passed the book to Penguin and picked up another. Flipping through a few pages he stopped, and looked over at his Captain. Who was currently sitting at his desk, his feet up on the wooden chest of what Bepo presumed were hearts, pretending to read a medical book. "Uh… Captain?" He asked timidly.

"Bepo-ya?"

"Are you sure these are her notes on Joker?"

Putting down the book Law removed his feet from the box and sat up, locking his eyes with Bepo's. "Those are all her notes on everything."

"Oh." Bepo said scratching at his head as he flipped through another book. "Um… okay… it's just... "

Penguin laughed as he tossed aside the notebook Bepo had passed him and pulled another notebook from the box, "Useless?" He said laughing again. "Captain, you do realize that almost everything here is just…" He laughed again, as he attempted to finish his sentence. "... drawings…"

Law raised an eyebrow as he waited for them to finish laughing and continue with their thought.

"... of you." Shachi finished for his friend, who was now doubled over in laughter, tossing his Captain one of the many notebooks filled to the brim of random sketches of Law. Considering the amount of books and papers in those boxes, Shachi assumed they probably contained five years worth of drawings of their beloved Captain.

Flipping through the notebook Shachi had tossed him, a dark shadow passed over his face before he let out an exasperated sigh. "So there's nothing useful in there at all?"

"Well…" Penguin started, flipping through yet another notebook. "... If sketches of you sleeping is useful, then yes?" He offered with another laugh, recoiling slightly at the pointed look Law flashed him.

"Wait! I might have found something!" Shachi exclaimed pulling out a letter from the a stack of papers he was leafing through. Reading over it quickly he made a face. "No, not particularly useful as it's only an inquiry about SMILE, but… it's a step in the right direction."

"Well, let me know if you find anything actually useful." Law said, returning to his book, half listening to the three reminisce about her.

" _Do you want to go meet the rest of the crew?" He asked as he stood up and put her heart into his pocket._

" _Huh?" She asked, wiping at her face._

" _You'll be staying with us for a while, would you like to meet the rest of the crew?" He repeated, offering her his hand._

 _Accepting his hand she allowed him to pull her up to a stand. "Oh, right… you're a pirate now…"_

 _He let out a laugh and ruffled the hat on her head. "You say that like it's a bad thing."_

" _I mean… isn't it?" She asked, tugging on the brim of the hat. "Stupid thing is too small." She mumbled softly to herself._

" _What did you expect? The thing is over ten years old." He said with a smile, as he led her out of the room and down the hall._

" _What are they like?" She asked nervously as the wound their way through the submarine._

" _Family." He replied affectionately, a_ _s he pushed opened the door to the kitchen, the room suddenly fell silent and all eyes turned toward them. "Meet the Heart Pirates, Azarashi-ya."_

" _Captain!" Shachi and Penguin shouted, running over toward them, with Bepo close behind. "It's so nice to meet you Azarashi-sama!"_

" _You guys are adorable!" She said jumping up and down like a little kid as she looked from Shachi to Penguin, patting them on the heads as she played with their hats. Suddenly a peculiar expression crossed her face as she noticed the polar bear behind them. "No, way." She mouthed excitedly as her eyes lit up and a grand smile spread across her face. Releasing the two men, she let out a delightful squeal and ran toward the bear. "You have a polar bear on your crew!?"_

 _Law was not sure what to make of this new personality of hers. She was so different from that distraught girl who was bawling in his room just moments ago, and so different from that sweet little girl he had known in the past. He watched in stunned silence as she let out another squeal and launched herself onto Bepo, wrapping her whole body around the large bear as she buried her face into his soft fur. "Oh my god he's so fluffy! Can I keep him?" she asked turning back toward him, stars shining in her eyes._

" _I'm sorry." Bepo said, in response, causing her to jump slightly and turn her attention back to the bear, completely forgetting about Law._

" _Oh my god! He talks!"_

 _Bepo tried to apologize again, but was cut off when she suddenly covered his face with kisses._

" _So, uh, Captain, not sure if it was your intention, but it looks like you found a girlfriend for Bepo." Shachi teased, as a look of horror crept across Law's face._

 _He was not sure what it was he was feeling in that moment, although the word betrayed kept running through his head. Sure, he did not rescue the girl hoping to get something out of it, she was just someone who needed help at the time and he helped her. Of course it was pleasant coincidence that she just so happened to be an old friend from his past. Someone he never dreamed he would ever see again, but if he were to be honest, they were not even that close. Sure she was the one who had originally given him that hat he adored so much, and sure he probably adored that hat so much because it was given to him by her, but that was besides the point. They were not really that close. Even though that wonderfully, brilliant smile of hers was one of those things that brightened his world and helped him through all those dark, lonely years, but it was not as if he had actual feelings for her or anything. She was just someone he knew back before the world had crashed down at his feet._

 _It was not like he had any claim to her, so these feelings of betrayal could not possibly have anything to do with her. Perhaps it was directed toward Bepo, and the fact that a little part of him felt that he was the only one allowed to lavish such attention on the bear. Then again, he had no claim to Bepo either, and he certainly would never lavish such attention on the bear. Sure he enjoyed resting on the bear, and warm embraces from the bear, petting the bear, and running his hands through the bear's fur, but she was taking it a little too far. Either way, he no claims to either her nor Bepo, they were their own persons, and no one, not even he, could possibly claim either one of them._

" _C.. C… Captain?" Bepo managed to get out in between being smothered by the girl._

 _Catching his pleading gaze, Law suddenly felt sorry for the bear. He knew a few people in the room who would have loved to be on the receiving end of her affections, the little voice in his head reminding him that he was one of those people, and he knew the bear was not one of them. He gave Bepo a small apologetic smile when she finally detangled herself from the bear and took a step back._

" _Law!" She yelled bouncing back toward him, dragging the bear along. "He's so adorable! I can keep him right?"_

" _Azarashi-ya," He said as calmly as he could. "Bepo-ya is his own person. You cannot just claim somebody."_

 _Dropping the bear's sleeve she pouted slightly as an understanding passed through her eyes. "Oh, sorry Bepo." She apologized, and when the bear gave her a weak smile, she suddenly brightened up again and smiled sweetly back at him. "You're so fluffy and amazing! Can I keep you?"_

 _Bepo stared back at her in bewilderment as he tried to make sense of her question. "I don't understand what you mean by that."_

 _Letting out a squeal she threw her arms around the bear's neck again. "That was not a no!" She exclaimed. "So fluffy!"_

" _Azarashi-ya, that's not a yes either." He said, in defense for the bear, as he watched in confusion when she then proceeded to attempt to disrobe the bear. "And what in God's name are you doing!?"_

 _Managing to unsnap the collar and pull the zipper of the orange boiler suit down, she was now in the middle of a battle with Bepo as she tried to pull his arms out of the sleeves. "YOU CANNOT COVER UP SUCH FLUFF!~" She exclaimed, desperately trying to take the offending piece of clothing off the bear._

 _Shachi and Penguin could not help but double over in laughter, this girl was quite entertaining, and most definitely more than what their Captain had bargained for. "So she's a princess huh?" Penguin said in between fits of laughter. "I always thought princesses were more…"_

" _... Dignified?" Shachi finished for him._

 _He was not surprised when she suddenly went rigid, the mirth melting away from her face as her eyes narrowed at the two friends. He had never thought of her as a princess, nor had he ever really known her as a princess. The little girl he knew as a child was just that, a little girl. One who loved stuffed animals and plush hats, and now that he thought about it, he probably should have anticipated her reaction to Bepo, and loved to smile and sing. Princess was the furthest thing from his mind whenever he thought about her, but that was in fact what she was, at least to everyone else in the world. She was the Princess of Flevance, a title she never wanted nor welcomed. Of course there was no way Shachi or Penguin could have known that._

 _Releasing Bepo from her grip she turned toward the two men, standing tall, with her head raised and face composed, an air of regality radiating off of her. "I am not a Princess." She stated, her voice sharp and bitter._

 _A frown tugged at the corner of his lips, her posture contradicted her words. She may hate that side of herself, and he certainly did not appreciate it, but he could clearly see that deep inside, she was by all means a princess._

" _But… the article…" Shachi stammered as she slowly approached them, a dangerous look in her eye._

 _Deciding that it was time to diffuse the situation before it got out of hand he spoke up. "So Azarashi-ya, tell me, what are you then?"_

 _Turning her attention from Shachi and Penguin, he could see her whole being visually relax as she focused her eyes on him. "Why a pirate of course." She stated quite matter of factly a playful smirk replacing the stoic expression she had a moment ago._

 _He let out a laugh, this girl was certainly something else. "I thought being a pirate was a bad thing."_

" _What? I never said that." She replied innocently. "Besides, if a polar bear can be a pirate, so can I. Beats being a princess any day."_

" _You can't just go around deciding that you're a pirate now."_

" _Why not? You guys did."_

" _That's because we actually ARE pirates. Tell me, Azarashi-ya, what pirate crew do you belong to?" He asked cheekily, knowing exactly what her answer would be._

" _Uh, yours of course. YOU HAVE A FLUFFY POLAR BEAR."_

" _That's not how it works." He said with a smirk. "I don't recall inviting you to be part of_ _ **my**_ _crew."_

" _Funny," she said, as she drew closer to him, a sly smirk plastered on her face, as she slid a hand down his chest until it rested upon the cubed shape in his pocket. "I recall you willingly accepting my heart."_

 _For the moment he had actually forgotten about the heart, and he had to admit that she had him. "Fine." He said in exasperation. "As long as you stop harassing my first mate."_

" _Harassing? I am not harassing anyone." She said pulling herself away from him as she jumped back onto Bepo and resumed the task of attempting to remove the orange boiler suit again. "I'm just snuggling the oh so fluffy and awesomely cuddly bear. So back off."_

" _Back off my ass!" He yelled yanking her off the bear. "I'm your Captain now, so you better start listening to me, and I said stop harassing Bepo!"_

" _I submit to no one!" She shouted defiantly as she attempted to struggle out of his arms._

" _You really are one undignified princess." He spat through gritted teeth, emphasizing the last word._

" _And you are a crude pirate who should, unhand me at once." She demanded in the most commanding voice she could muster._

 _He almost dropped her in indignation, "I am your Captain, woman." He growled. "You will respect me."_

" _Oh, I'm sorry." She replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Unhand me at once, Captain."_

 _He dropped her, on purpose this time. She was lucky she was cute, and that the hat she had on her head reminded him of the younger her, the one who was not nearly as cheeky as this one was._

 _The room went silent as everyone gaped at the two of them. It was hard for him to read what is was exactly they were surprised at. Frankly he did not really care, his attention was on the girl lying on the floor, whom he was currently seething at. She glared back at him, and they silently battled for dominance with their eyes, a position he was not willing to let go of._

 _Suddenly she laughed, her eyes relaxing, and she disarmed him with a smile. "I'm sorry." She said genuinely._

" _You're sorry?" He repeated in confusion._

 _Sitting up she kept her eyes locked on his. "Yes, I'm sorry for my behavior, but you denied me my Bepo." She said accusingly._

" _Oh, you're apologizing for your defiance."_

 _She laughed again. "What else would I be apologizing for? How am I supposed to know how to react to you going around ordering me around like you're in charge or something."_

 _He narrowed his eyes at her, unsure of whether or not she was being serious or just messing with him. "Because I am the Captain." He replied incredulously._

" _Right, sorry. It's just… I've never had anyone, ever, tell me no, or what to do. All my life everyone just doted on me, treated me like I was this fragile little porcelain doll of a princess who could break any minute. I've always been given any and everything I've ever wanted, well, everything except my freedom I suppose… that I constantly fought for and failed to obtain."_

 _She paused and gave him a bright smile. With a single look, she stripped him off all his walls and all he could do was stand there and attempt to regain his composure._

" _Freedom." She breathed, her eyes shining. "The only thing I've ever truly wanted, and you, you were the one who actually granted it. So, I cannot guarantee that I'll automatically comply with, well anything you say, because honestly, that is against my nature. But I just want you to know, that despite my outward defiance, I am eternally grateful for what you did, and that I will willingly follow you to the ends of the earth and that you have my unfaltering loyalty, Captain."_

 _The way she said that last word caused his breath the catch in his throat as his heart fluttered in a way that was entirely new to him. All her gratitude and love was poured into that last word, and although it was spoken in a tone he was very familiar with, there was something about the way that it came out of her that made him feel like he was the luckiest man in the world._

 _Suddenly the air in the room changed, and all at once everyone started taking again. "Welcome to the Heart Pirates!" Shachi and Penguin shouted as everyone came forward and embraced her as one of their own. Without knowing it, she had conveyed the very essence of what they all felt, and in that moment he knew that she was most definitely a part of his crew._

" _So," Shachi said, not even trying to suppress the blush which overtook his face. "Now that we officially have a woman in our crew, where is she going to sleep?"_

" _IN BEPO'S BED!~" She exclaimed happily, latching herself onto the bear again._

" _NO." Everyone in the room, Law and Bepo included shouted at once._

 _She pouted, "Fine." She conceded reluctantly, a sly smirk gracing her lips as she looked over to Law, sending a shiver down his spine with the way her eyes bore into his. "I'll just sleep in the Captain's bed then."_

"Captain!~" Bepo suddenly squealed, as he excitedly pulled a piece of paper out from the pile, snapping Law out of the memory he had been lost in. When Law looked over at him, he proudly held up an endearing sketch of him embracing his Captain. "Can I keep this one?"

A smile passed across Law's face and he nodded, causing Shachi and Penguin to look over at the picture in the bear's hand. "That's not fair, there are no sketches of us in here." Shachi complained, tossing another book aside.

"Clearly, you're not fluffy enough." Bepo replied, tucking the paper carefully away in his pocket.

"Oh my god, I can't believe this. There's a whole book of Bepo!" Penguin exclaimed throwing a notebook at the bear, who received it delightfully.

"So you guys still haven't found anything useful?" Law asked, putting down the book he had been pretending to read.

"Not particularly. She's kind of all over the place, with her ' _notes_ '" Shachi replied, placing the last word in air quotes. "Amongst all these lovely pictures of you, Captain, she has random words jotted down, can't really make much sense of it, maybe you could try."

Getting up from his spot, he slowly made his way over to the three of them, and glanced at the list of seemingly random things she had littered throughout her sketches. There was not much to go by, but he did recognize a few names and places, all associated with the new world.

It would not bring them any closer to finding her, but it did give him more targets to hunt, and right now, that was enough. Targets. He needed more hearts, they were the key to the Shichibukai title he needed. Besides, it gave him something to do in the meantime while he continued to search for the answers he needed.

* * *

 _ **a/n: The past two chapters were so angsty I decided to lighten it up a little. :) I love the Heart Pirates so much. And let's just pretend that the reason they love and appreciate Law so much was that once upon a time they were all slaves that he had freed (much like Jean Bart) and considering Bepo's personality and his propensity to apologize, it seems like in a past life he was an abused slave. *hugs the Bepo***_


	4. Favorite Things

_**a/n: Enjoy some fluffy filler. Things will get dark and angsty again soon, so enjoy the fluff while you can. Ha.**_

* * *

Looking through all her notes had been an eventful endeavor, not as productive as they had hoped, but definitely eventful. Shachi and Penguin eventually found a sketch of them, which delighted them immensely, but when it came to actual information, that was scarce. The list of seemingly random names and places were all they really had to go off of, and it honestly was not much. It could not answer his questions on who took her, and what happened to her, though the little voice in his head repeatedly said ' _Joker._ '

Still, it was a refreshing change of pace from the past few months, and it was rather nice, seeing the world through her eyes. Those sketches of hers was an insight into her mind, although honestly, it would seem that one particular thing seemed to overwhelm all other thoughts, not that he minded. It only meant that the two of them had been on the same wavelength, as she was, more often than not, the only thing on his mind, other than his work that was. It did make him miss her all that much more, his world had become so dingy and gray since she's been gone, and he missed that feeling she brought into his life.

Now was not a the time to dwell on such things, as there was a pressing need to venture out into the New World, something he had been putting off until he acquired the Shichibukai title, but even that seemed closer than before. The box under his feet was very near full, by the time they reached their destination he was sure that they would be able to exchange it for the immunity from the law he would need in order to pursue _Joker_.

In the meantime he decided to focus on his other job, the one that actually helped people rather than harmed them. She had always called him a walking contradiction, a doctor, who was dubbed the Surgeon of Death, it always made her laugh, that epithet of his, but he rather liked it. It brought his two worlds together, and reminded him all that much more of why he wanted to be the world's most renowned doctor.

Settling back into his chair he pulled a book from one of the many stacks on his desk. The night was quiet, but for once he did not mind. Ever since that day he found her heart again, he had been in much higher spirits, perhaps it was because of his new found hope, or the fact that that slow, steady beating almost made him feel like she was there with him.

Glancing over at the couch he half expected her to be there, but instead he was graced with the sleeping figures of his three dearest friends. The trio brought a smile to his face, seeing them there brought him back to their earlier days, when it was just the four of them. They had been with him since the beginning, and they were the ones to draw him out of that dark corner after he had been in after he lost Corazon. Although if you asked them, they would tell you that he had been the one to save them, but he knew better.

Opening the book a stray photograph fluttered out, falling neatly on his lap. Picking it up he turned it over to be faced with the smiling faces of Lami and a young Azarashi. He could not recall ever slipping that picture into his book, but then again, it was very possible that there were pictures slipped into all of his books, as it was very much something she would have done. Tucking it back into the book he smiled as he lost himself in a memory.

" _What the hell do you think you're doing?" He asked as she stood in his room, rummaging through all his clothes._

" _Looking for a shirt to wear." She replied like what she was doing was the most normal thing in the world._

 _He let out a heavy sigh and narrowed his eyes at her. "I can see that."_

" _Then why did you ask?" She asked flashing him a cheeky smile before continuing her search, for what he was not even sure._

" _Why?" He asked through gritted teeth and had half a mind to throw her overboard._

 _Stopping what she was doing she looked up at him, her expression unreadable for a second before an impish smile crossed her lips. He scowled at her, knowing nothing good was about to come out of her mouth._

" _I mean, I suppose I could just sleep naked," She started, that impish smile curving into something much more sinister, "But I figured you'd be more comfortable if I was clothed."_

" _What the hell are you talking about, woman?" He growled, forcing his brain to not go there. "Why the hell would I care what you slept in?"_

" _Uh, because I'm sleeping in your bed."_

" _No. You're not."_

" _Yes. I am." She countered. "I was denied sleeping with Bepo and we all agreed that I would just sleep in your bed instead."_

" _Nobody agreed to that, Azarashi-ya."_

" _Nobody refuted that, either." She said with a grin. "Unlike how EVERYONE denied me my Bepo."_

" _Could you please stop referring to him as 'your Bepo'? It's weird."_

" _You're weird." She retorted childishly sticking out her tongue, as she returned to the so-called task of finding a shirt._

 _He refused to ratify that comment with a response, and chose to simply stare daggers at her instead. How he got himself into this mess was beyond him. This girl was definitely not what he had bargained for, but he knew deep inside that he would not trade her for the world._

 _Finally settling on a shirt, which honestly was like every other shirt he owned, she looked up at him, meeting his intense glare with the sweetest smile she could muster. "Do you mind?" She asked, gesturing toward the door, and when he neither moved nor responded, a devilish smile crossed her lips. "I suppose you're welcomed to watch me undress, if that's what you want."_

" _I honestly cannot believe that you spent eighteen years of your life as a princess." He mumbled before exiting the room._

 _When she exited the bedroom and sauntered into his office dressed in, what he assumed, was nothing but his T-shirt, which if he was being honest, hung on her small frame in all the right ways, he had to tell his brain to function normally. Attempting to control his raging hormones, he forced himself to tear his eyes away from her and return to the book he had been reading, as she settled down on the couch._

" _I don't understand why you can't just wear your own clothes." He said as calmly as possible from behind the book._

" _Well…" She said, with a hint of embarrassment in her voice, as she reached for the pack that had been placed by the couch. "... I kind of forgot to pack clothes."_

 _Lowering the book he shot her an incredulous look. "You ran away from home without packing any clothes? What the hell did you pack then?" He asked gesturing toward the backpack she now had on her lap._

" _Important things."_

" _Because clothes aren't important?"_

" _You know what, I was in a hurry." She huffed, pulling out a ragged stuffed snow leopard, which she subsequently threw at him. "I just made sure I had all my sentimental things."_

" _What is this?" He asked as the plush doll landed in his book._

" _Yuki." She replied, flashing him a smile. "You don't remember?"_

" _No." He said, holding it away from him with two fingers as if the thing was diseased._

" _I traded you my hat for that…" she said lost in a memory. "You don't remember?" She asked again._

 _Starting at the tattered stuffed animal he could not really say he remembered it, but he did vaguely remember trading her something for her hat. It was such a long ago, and honestly all he really remembered was the smile she had flashed him back then, that smile, which even back then, made his heart flutter and his stomach flip. He supposed that he could have given her that thing, it was probably something he had brought to the hospital to give to Lami._

" _Could you please stop holding it like it's repulsive or something." She pleaded, pouting at him._

 _He chuckled and tossed it back to her. "Sorry, I dislike those germ traps."_

 _Tucking the snow leopard under her arm she waved him over. "Hey come here, I want to show you something."_

 _Reluctantly he put down his book and stood up. As he drew closer to the couch she tucked herself into the right corner of the couch and drew her legs up into a cross legged position, placing the backpack back on her lap. When he took a seat next to her, she withdraw an album from her pack, and handed it to him._

" _I'm guessing you haven't seen them in a while." She said softly when he gave her a quizzical look, relaxing back into the couch, the shabby snow leopard dancing in her hands._

 _He stared absently at the heavy object in his hands, fingers tracing the soft leather of the cover, unwilling to actually it open. He was not sure he was ready to look inside that book, he was not sure his heart was ready to see their faces again, smiling back at him, not after all that happened. She silently watched him from the corner of her eye, waiting, that much he knew, and he was grateful that for the first time that night she did not have a snarky comment, that she allowed him this moment._

 _After what seemed like hours he finally lifted the cover and was met with a picture of a younger him, face half buried in that hat that was too big for him back then, a slight blush on his face as the younger her kissed him on the cheek with a fluffy plush snow leopard in her arms. He was surprised at the picture, he had not even realized that someone had taken that picture, then again, his eyes were covered by that hat, that hat which now rested on her head._

 _She beamed brightly at him when he finally trailed his eyes from the picture to her. "That's my favorite picture." She simply stated, her face radiating joy. "Well, every picture in there is my favorite, but I especially like that one. It has all my favorite things in it."_

 _He smiled at her insinuation that he was one of her favorite things, and as he turned the page, a warmth spread through his body as he was met with the beautiful smile of his little sister Lami. Emotions raced through his body, and he could not figure out which one to settle on. Anger, joy, sadness, they all mixed together into this confusing mess within him as he stared down at that smile he had almost forgotten. It had been so many years since he had last saw her smile, all he had left were fleeting memories of her, memories which always seemed to twist themselves into a gaping hole of despair._

 _He had been so absorbed in those pictures of Lami's smile that he did not notice it when she quietly got up, until she was almost at the door, entering his line of sight. "Where do you think you're going?" He asked with more venom in his voice than he had intended, when he looked up and met her gaze. There was something so undeniably appealing in the way his shirt hung on her, landing just barely mid thigh, leaving one's mind to wonder what it was she had under it, and the way that old hat sat lopsided on her head. It was becoming harder for him to control himself, as his blood coursed through his body causing him to lose his grip on his sense of reasoning._

" _Uh, the kitchen to get a drink." She answered, perplexed by his demeanor._

" _The hell you are." He spat, attempting the reign in that monster inside of him. For this moment in time she was his, as if his shirt branded her, giving him claim over her person. He refused to share this image of her with anyone, especially not with a submarine full of young males who would probably appreciate it just as much as he did. He had decided that for tonight she was his._

" _Excuse me?" She asked in indignation. "The fuck you think you are?"_

" _Your Captain." He said, a smirk playing at his lips as she glowered at him, mouthing at string of words, he could only assume were more profanities. "What a dirty mouth on such a pretty little princess." He said mockingly, emphasizing the last word just to see her squirm._

" _Fuck you, Captain." She retorted, placing just as much emphasis on his title as he did hers._

 _He chuckled as he slowly stood up, his anger dissipating due to the snarl on her face, which he found awfully attractive. Placing the photo album gently down on the couch, he took slow deliberate strides toward her. Placing his hand on her head he smiled down at her, "Go sit down, I'll get you your drink. Wouldn't want you prancing around the submarine looking like that." He said as calmly as his body allowed him to._

" _What's wrong with…" She started as she looked down at how she was dressed. "... Oh." She mouthed as a furious blush crossed her cheeks, understanding what it was he was getting at._

 _Stepping out of the room he inhaled sharply, as he fought to compose himself before venturing any further. When he returned to the room with a fresh pot of tea and two cups he had managed to regain his composure. She was sitting there quietly in that right corner of the couch again, leafing through the album, a melancholy smile on her face._

" _Here." He said, handing her a cup, which she took graciously as she placed the album back onto his hands._

 _Taking a sip she smiled at him and let out a small sigh. "Thank you," she said softly, "for everything."_

" _You're welcome, Azarashi-ya." He replied with a smile, mindlessly flipping through the album, as old memories flashed across his mind. It had been so long since he regarded his past with such light, happy, thoughts. "I should be thanking you too. It really has been too long since I last saw them."_

" _Hmmm." She hummed, her eyes following the pictures his slender fingers traced. "You're free to take whichever ones you want… just not the first picture."_

" _Yes, because it's your favorite."_

" _Yup. All my favorite things." She said with a playful smile as she nudged him lightly with her foot._

He let out a yawn and place the book at the top of a random stack. There would be no reading tonight, he refused to fall asleep in that chair again, not if he could help it. Getting up he entered the adjoining room and collapsed onto his bed. Kicking off his shoes he swung his legs onto the bed and pulled the sheets over his body, his hand brushing something soft.

Pulling the ragged snow leopard out from its hiding place he could not help the smile which broke out across his face. "Looks like she abandoned you too, Yuki." He said turning the thing over in his hands.

"Guess she was planning on returning, since she decided to leave all her favorite things behind." He mused placing the stuffed animal on his chest. How he had not noticed the stuffed leopard sooner was beyond him, but then again, it was not like he had been sleeping in his bed recently. The nights had been too hard on him, his bed had become unwelcoming, it lacked the warmth and comfort she had provided, but knowing she still lived made it easier.

He still could not quite understand what it was that made her decide to take such an unnecessary risk, going off on her own without anybody to back her up. Although if she had told him about her decision to go do whatever it was she went off to do, he most likely would have forbade her from doing so. Either way she would have gone, since rebelling against his commands were her specialty, something he had hoped that she would have given up on after five years, but then again it was one of his favorite things about her.


	5. Logistics

The next few weeks passed quicker than he had anticipated. Breaking through into the New World was not a difficult task for them, their sturdy little submarine was more than enough to weather the wild currents of the New World. Thus it did not take him long to finish acquiring all the hearts he needed in order to exchange them for the Shichibukai title he so desperately needed, the New World was swimming with pirates, ripe for the picking. He had decided on one hundred as the number, it honestly could have been more, but he felt that a hundred was sufficient. When the hundredth heart was dropped into the box, he decided that it was the appropriate time to inform the rest of his crew of what his plan actually was, and he had to admit, they took it a lot better than he had anticipated.

Evidently, his crew did not mind that he had decided that they were going to rock the very foundation of this wild and unpredictable land. They evidently had full confidence in their Captain, and would support anything he wanted to do, even if it meant messing with a Shichibukai and pissing off a Yonko. When he first decided to act upon that burning desire deep within him to destroy Donquixote Doflamingo, Azarashi, Bepo, Shachi and Penguin were the only one privy to that information. They were the people he trusted the most in the world, and they were also the ones he knew who would truly understand his motivations.

Unfortunately information regarding that despicable man was scarce, and figuring out a way to destroy him without getting themselves killed proved far more difficult than they had originally anticipated. The only thing they could do back then was gather as much information as they could on the doings of the Donquixote Pirates, which had been what led them to that auction house almost a year and a half ago.

While at Sabaody, Shachi and Penguin had discovered a connection between the human auction house and Doflamingo, though in reality it was not that hard since the Donquixote jolly roger was plastered all over the curtains. Still, he gave them that credit, and they ventured in there to see what they could uncover. Azarashi being the person she was decided that she would sneak off somewhere once they were inside and see what she could uncover backstage, much to his dismay. There really was no stopping that girl once she had her heart set on doing something, and he agreed, only because they would be in the same building, which meant she would be within range of his ROOM if she got herself into a situation beyond her control.

Luckily, or unluckily depending how one looked at things, it never had to come to that, as that idiot Strawhat caused quite a commotion throwing everyone into a panic. Resulting in the destruction of the auction house and a panicked call placed to Doflamingo on Disco's part. Being backstage, she had been able to record that call on her Visual Den Den Mushi, which was what had prompted them to chase SMILEs to begin with.

SMILEs. He hated it with a passion. He hated how obsessed they became with it, how desperately they tried to find any information on it, and especially how involved in the whole process she was. Although admittedly, without her help they probably would not have gotten as far as they could.

It turns out she was extremely good at extracting information out of people, and discovered the island of Punk Hazard, where the Marines once attempted to create a devil fruit, albeit unsuccessfully, under the direction of Dr. Vegapunk. Most of the factory had been destroyed by the time she uncovered the information, but it did leave them with a location to start with, especially since it was seemingly abandoned. Which was why he needed that title so badly, abandoned government islands were definitely not the place they would allow just any pirate to explore. He needed immunity from the law.

If he could go back and do things over, he would, but he was in too deep now. He had to continue on, enact his vengeance and save the princess. Sometimes he hated himself, for wanting to pursue that man, if it had not been for that she would not have gone missing. They could have just gone after the One Piece instead, like normal pirates, but no, he had a vendetta he wanted to chase.

How had things turned out this way? A little part of him felt that perhaps his ambitions were too large, that he had perhaps fallen too deep into that abyss of vengeance, that this was all somehow his fault. He was going to make this right by her, that much he knew, although the little voice inside his head told him that she would never blame him for this, that in her mind, there were no wrongs to be righted.

" _Hey, Law?"_

" _Hmm?" He hummed, glancing over at her. She was situated in her usual spot, tucked in the corner of that red velvet couch, a notebook on her lap, a pencil in her hand, her eyes trained on him._

" _Why did you decide to become a pirate?" She asked out of nowhere. "I kinda contradicts the whole doctor thing don't you think?" She said gesturing toward the stack of books in front of him._

" _Why do you ask?"_

 _Shrugging she put down the notebook and shifted her body, dropping her feet to the floor, she leaned forward slightly, her arms draping across her knees. "Just curious."_

 _He thought for a moment, unsure of how to actually answer that question. He had never really thought about why he became a pirate, he just did. "Revenge." He finally said, settling on a reason, although it probably was not the answer she wanted._

 _A small pout formed on her lips, confirming what he thought. "For what?" She asked somewhat apprehensively, half knowing the answer to that question._

 _He put down his book and turned his chair toward her. Letting out a deep sigh he sank back into his chair as he debated how to tell her. "A long time ago I was lost, dying, and wanted to destroy the world."_

 _She sat in silence and did not offer him any words as he continued his story, her eyes speaking volumes as she listened intently, the sorrow she felt for his pain and all that transpired was etched on her beautiful face. It was refreshing, telling her about that time, about all that pain and hatred, of Doflamingo and Corazon, about the healing and love he received when he needed it the most._

 _The tears she freely shed for him as he recounted Corazon's last moments, of that smile that foolish man flashed him moments before he met his fate, stirred up something up inside of him. There had always existed this dull pain whenever he thought about that time, a hurt that he still felt after all those years, but it had a been a long time since he had wanted to cry those tears he cried that day. The tears never fell though, mainly because at the moment they wanted to, she decided to climb up onto his lap and bury her face into his shoulder as her arms wrapped around his torso. Her touch dispelled his sorrow and reminded him that if it had not been for Corazon's sacrifice, he would not be here today, with her._

" _I'm sorry." She mumbled softly into his shoulder._

" _Don't be." He said, placing a hand gently on the back of her head, holding her close to him. "I think he would have liked you."_

" _Oh?" She said releasing him from her embrace, a small smile on her face as she pulled away enough so that she could study his face._

 _Tucking a stray hair behind her ear he smiled back at her, as all the happy memories of Corazon came flooding back into his mind. "Yea, you two make the same lame jokes."_

" _You're a lame joke." She retorted with a smirk, as she punched him lightly in the shoulder._

 _He let out a chuckle, she was adorable, and honestly, she brought such joy to his life, even though her jokes were really the worst. "Point proven." He replied with a slight smirk._

 _Settling down against him, she placed her head on his shoulder again, "Is there anything I can do to help?" She asked, as she pulled the hat off his head and placed it on her lap, hugging it._

 _He kissed her softly on the forehead and smiled. "You are already helping more than you know. Don't you know your touch is like sunlight through the trees, your kisses are the ocean breeze... everything's alright when you're with me."_

" _You're such a dork." She said playfully in response to his sincerity, replacing the hat on his head. "I meant with your quest for vengeance."_

" _No." He said as he gently stroked her hair. He did not want her involved with all that nonsense, he would be devastated if something happened to her because of it._

" _Hmmm," she mused, her tone unsettling to him, as he knew it meant that his 'no' meant nothing to her, that she was just going to do whatever she wanted anyway._

" _Azarashi-ya." He said with just a hint of warning in his voice. "We're not strong enough yet. So stop thinking whatever it is you're thinking."_

 _She flashed him a mischievous smile. "Don't presume to know what it is I'm thinking."_

" _I always know what you're thinking." He replied with a smirk. "Besides, you only ever think about one thing."_

" _Oh really?" She asked, the smile on her face grew wider as she shifted her position and straddled him, draping her arms around his neck she inched her face closer to his. "And what's that, love?" She breathed into his ear, smirking as his body responded with a light shudder._

" _Bepo-ya." He said suddenly, causing her to abruptly pull away from him and jerk her head toward the door._

" _BEPO!~" She squealed in excitement, leaping off of him without a second thought and launched herself at the bear._

" _I'm sorry." Bepo said, dropping his head a little when he caught the look in Law's eyes._

" _Nonsense, you silly bear. There's nothing to be sorry for!~" She said as she hung off of him, rubbing her face against his fur. "So fluffy… We were just talking about revenge."_

 _His eyes narrowed at her, knowingly, and he almost regretted telling her everything. "Azarashi-ya, I said no."_

 _Slipping off the bear she turned to face him, a look of defiance in her eye. "You say no all the time, when has that ever stopped me."_

 _That look in her eye told him that she would never drop the issue, not until his goal was achieved, and he really did not want her involved. Nothing good could possibly come from her getting involved with that man, nothing. Unfortunately, it was a hopeless case, as there was really no stopping her once that determination flared up within her. He knew that whether he wanted her to or not, she would plunge herself into this mess, and devote every ounce of energy she had within her to help him._

" _Woman, you are going to be the death of me." He huffed getting up from his chair. "Do whatever you want, Bepo-ya, let's go."_

" _Aye-aye Captain." Bepo said, giving her an apologetic look._

"Hey Captain?" Bepo's voice asked from under the table, snapping him back to his present reality.

"Bepo-ya?"

"Did you know you had a letter under here?" The bear asked, pulling himself out from under the table, a letter in one hand the pile of books he knocked over in the other.

"No." Was his reply as he retrieved the letter. His name written in three neat little letters on the front, a small sketch his hat to the left of the 'L'. He did not need to open it to know who it was from, although how he missed a letter written by her was beyond him.

 _Hey Love,_

 _Please don't be angry, you're probably angry, I'm sorry._

 _I sent Joker an inquiry about SMILE using the Royal Seal, it seemed to work as I got a response to meet.  
_ _I can't tell you where, because you'll be reckless and come after me and then we won't be able to get our hands on a fruit...  
So don't be angry... but I went alone._

 _You're probably angry. I'm sorry, I love you._

He glared at the silly picture of an apologetic little spotted seal she had drawn at the bottom of the letter. Oh, he was angry alright. How she could have been so reckless was beyond him. She should have told him about her asinine plan, that way he would have been able to tell her how stupid it was. Contacting Joker under the guise of the Flevance royal family was probably the stupidest thing she could have ever done, right next to actually going to meet up with him.

She may have forgotten that the fact that he was the one who freed her from her family was blasted all over the papers five years ago, but he for sure did not, and he knew damn well that Doflamingo damn sure did not forget as well. This woman was really going to be the death of him, but at least now he knows what had become of her, and where to find her.

Luckily for him, the place just so happens to coincide with where he was going anyway, only now he had to handle the situation much more delicately. Glancing at the still beating heart on his desk he let out a small sigh of relief. Doflamingo had kept her alive thus far, and he had an inkling as to why, but one mishap on his part and he knew that the bastard would not hesitate to kill her.

Bepo stared quietly at his Captain, he was not sure what to make of his Captain's sudden change in demeanor, although he guessed it probably had to do with the contents of that letter. A shudder ran through Bepo's body as he caught his Captain's eye. He did not like it, that look in his Captain's eyes, nothing good ever came from that look.

"C-C-Captain?" He stammered, hoping that there was something he could offer, anything to make his Captain change his mind, even though he knew it was futile. There was no changing his mind when he got that look.

Unclutching the letter Law turned toward the bear, "Bepo-ya." He said slowly meeting the bear's concerned gaze, instantly regretting what it was he had decided on, although he knew it was what was necessary.

"I don't like it." Bepo replied.

"Like what?" He asked, although he already knew.

"Whatever it is you're planning. I don't like it." The bear said, crossing his arms.

"I don't like it either." Law admitted, "But there's no other way."

Bepo frowned, there had to be another way, what he did not know, heck he did not even know what it was Law was planning, all he knew was that he did not like it. Not one bit.

"Bepo-ya?" Law's voice came again, slow, smooth, and calculated. It made Bepo want to run away and pretend he never found a letter, that none of this was real.

"I'm sorry." He said in response, wanting to crawl into a dark corner.

"Do you still have that vivre card?"

His head snapped up, as a million thoughts ran through his mind as why Law would want his vivre card. "Why?" He asked apprehensively.

Bepo's expression made Law's heart break. He knew that what he was going to say next would not sit well with Bepo, nor the rest of his crew for that matter, but it was the only way he saw possible. "After we drop off this box with the Marines," he said, kicking the box of hearts with his foot, "I need you guys to drop me off somewhere, alone."

Bepo wanted to refuse, the idea of leaving his Captain somewhere alone did not sit well with him, but the fact that he was asking about the vivre card meant that Law had every intention of coming back to him, them. "Where are we going to go then?" He asked, pulling the vivre card from his pocket and breaking off a piece for his Captain.

The very fact that Bepo had offered him a piece of the vivre card meant that the bear had accepted his decision, which made him happy and sad at the same time. He knew how hard this was for Bepo, and he would never want to do anything to intentionally hurt him, but he also knew how important it was that he did this alone. "Zou, you still know your way back right?"

"Yes," Bepo replied reluctantly. "May I ask why?"

Letting out a sigh, Law handed Bepo the letter, and as the bear read what little she had to say, an understanding crossed his face. "I cannot risk him killing her if I draw too much attention to myself, which is why I have to do this alone. I would feel better if the rest of you were at Zou, where you would be safe."

"How do you even know she's still…" Bepo started, refusing to finish the thought.

Law gestured toward to the heart on the desk, the one he swore was beating slightly slower than when he first found it. "That's her heart."

"Oh." The bear mouthed.

"As long as it's beating she's still alive, which is why I need to go alone. He cannot know."

Bepo frowned, and enveloped Law in a big hug. "I understand." He said, dropping his head to rest on the man's shoulder. "I still don't like it though."

"I know," He offered, returning the hug. "I don't like it either."


	6. Azarashi

She sighed as she folded the paper in half and printed his name on the front in neat little letters, adding in a small sketch of his hat just for good measure, reluctant to actually leave. She was unsure as to what would happen from here on out; hopefully things will work out they way they did in her head and that she would be in and out and on her way before anything bad can happen.

Adjusting the scarf around her neck she dropped the letter off on top of his desk and quickly made her way out onto the deck. The night was dark, a new moon hanging in the sky, this cover of darkness eased her mind a little. He would be angry when he read her letter, that much she knew, and if he caught up with her, her chances of pulling this off would be nil. She knew he would never approve of this plan, but at the same time she knew that she had to do something. He was getting restless, and whenever he got into those moods he always ended up doing something rash and reckless and she was not sure how much more she could take. She needed to know that she was right about Punk Hazard, but information was so hard to come by, this was her last ditch effort to uncover anything, and lucky for her she actually got a response.

So she quietly slipped away from the submarine, relishing the crisp winter air of the island they were docked at. She loved the Winter Islands the most, for they reminded her most of home, of a home that she loved so much when she was younger, a home that no longer exists in this world. The boys had gone on ahead, enjoying themselves immensely, Bepo particularly, then again, a polar bear in snow was most at home in his element. She had stayed back claiming she needed a minute to gather her things, that she was going to meet up with them at the local tavern, a lie she wished was true.

Weaving through the streets of the village she pulled her jacket tight around her, wishing she had her hat with her. It would have drawn too much attention though, so she had intentionally left it behind, along with the rest of her favorite things. Speaking of her favorite things, she quickly made her way to the opposite side of the street as she passed the lively tavern, hiding in the shadows so those inside would not notice the lone girl slipping off into the darkness. Giving the bright tavern a last, longing look she caught a glimpse of that furry white hat, she loved so much, and the man underneath it.

"I'm sorry, love." She whispered to the air, disappearing into the darkness before he got a chance to turn around and possibly notice her. Her tears were hot against her wind chilled face, and she fervently prayed that everything would be fine, that in no time she would be back within the confines of that yellow submarine, safe within the arms of the one person she loved more than life itself.

Finding her way through the forest into the next village proved to be slightly more difficult than she had anticipated, but somehow she managed, and hoped that she was sufficiently out of range for his ROOM. By now they would have realized that she was gone, and she knew that they all would have stopped at nothing to find her again. If she was out of range, there was no way could use 'scan' to find her. Picking up her pace she made her way across this new village to the harbor, where she found the predetermined merchant ship and boarded, giving the Captain the letter she had received from Joker.

Drawing her knees to her face she huddled in the corner of the small cot she had been allotted for the journey, and for the first time in five years she felt afraid. For the first time ever, she realized just how blissful those never ending days on that yellow submarine were, surrounded by a group of people who loved her for who she was, and would do anything to protect her. There was always an air of security around her, whether it be the always over protective Law, or the furball that was her Bepo, or the duo that made it their mission to keep her laughing. Life had been so carefree and safe, and now, for the first time since she collided with that man, so many years ago, she was without his protection, without the protection of the Heart Pirates. She knew that this was something she had chosen, and she also knew that she had absolutely no right to be feeling like this right now, still it could not change the fact that she missed him, them.

Frankly, she was terrified. Terrified of what was going to happen, terrified of what might happen if she could never find her way back to him, terrified of what would become of him if that were to happen. Leaving like this was probably the stupidest thing she had ever done, she realized that now, now that it was too late. Letting out a sigh she put on her game face, pushing all her fears and apprehensions deep down inside of her, and let out that little princess she had locked away for so long.

It took three days for them to reach the meeting point, three days in which she watched that small piece of Bepo's vivre card ,which she had managed to steal without anyone noticing, pull in the opposite direction that they were heading. Every moment of every day she would wonder what it was they were up to, how he was holding up.

As the fourth day dawned, she had pulled out that small vivre card as she did every morning, and she stared curiously at it, as it started to pull in her general direction. She bit her lip as she considered its movements, it was near impossible for him to have figured out where she had gone, she did her best to cover her tracks, and then an impossible thought entered her mind.

How she had forgotten was beyond her, then again, he had evidently forgotten for three days as well, but tucked into the brim of that fuzzy hat he always wore was a small piece of her own virve card. It had been years since she had tucked it in there, in a moment of jest when she declared that this way he would always be able to find his way back to her. She kicked herself for that action now, when for the first, and hopefully last time ever, she did not want him to find her.

Hoping that the three day advantage she had on him would be long enough to for her to accomplish what she had set out to do, she tucked the small piece of paper back into her pocket and ventured out onto the deck. The first thing she noticed when the glorious ocean air hit her face was that there was a new presence on the ship.

"Oh the little lady actually came." An amused voice rang out from somewhere behind her.

Whipping around she caught a glimpse of pink feathers, and a very tall, domineering man, with a slightly sadistic smile on his face, standing on the upper deck. She needed no introduction to know who it was she was looking at. "Why wouldn't I come? Did we not have an appointment, Joker?"

He threw his head back in laughter, unsure of whether she was serious or not, either way, he was extremely surprised that she actually showed up. "The little lady has jokes."

His tone did not sit well with her, and in that moment she realized that she had fallen into a trap. "I don't understand." She stated, with as much confidence as she could muster.

"I still cannot believe that foolish boy thought he could pull one over on me." He said, amusement still lacing his words.

A slight frown trickled onto her face as she realized that her farce was up, that he somehow knew all along that she had been associated with Law. "He doesn't know." She said with conviction.

"Oh?" She shuddered as a sadistic smirk danced across his face. "This makes things even more interesting." He said as he perched himself onto the railing of the upper deck, staring down at her.

Over the past five years, she has had the displeasure of meeting her share of despicable men, but this one, this man trumped them all. She should have believed Law when he told her about his sadism, but a little part of her wanted to believe that a man like that could not possibly exist. Damn it he was right, he was alway right, well not always, but usually, and she really should have listened to him, that much she knew now. Why she believed that she was capable of handling this on her own was beyond her.

"Don't give me that look, little lady. If he really had no idea, I'll forgive him this one time, and I promise I won't lay a finger on him..." That sadistic smirk somehow twisted into something much more sinister. "Unfortunately, I cannot say the same thing for you."

Before she could register what was happening, she felt her body lift off the ground as a series of invisible strings impaled her, leaving her gasping for air as she choked on her own blood. This was definitely not what she had anticipated, and the only thought that ran through her mind at that moment was " _I'm so sorry, Law."_

A blinding white light flashed before her eyes and her surroundings faded, as the bright aura dissipated she was left standing in a large empty field, blanketed in soft snow. Confused she glanced about, a familiar feeling of home shrouding her, as a lone figure in the distance caught her attention.

As she slowly approached him, a sense of recognition washed over her, even though she was sure she had never seen him before. "Corazon?" She asked in confusion.

He offered her a slight nod and a smile in affirmation, his purple feather mantel swaying softly in the wind. Coming up next to him she saw the little girl standing next to him, hidden from view before due to the aforementioned mantle, smiling broadly up at her.

"Lami?" She breathed in a whisper. "What's going on here? Am I dead?"

Corazon laughed as Lami ran to her, embracing her legs. "That depends entirely on you."

Scooping up the little girl into her arms, Azarashi planted soft kisses on the girl's face. "Lami, I missed you so much… but I don't understand, I have a choice?"

"Well, kind of." He said with a far off look. "You can choose to stay or go back, no one can actually say whether or not you'll live or die if you go back."

"Hmmm…" She mused sadly, as she pulled Lami closer, a melancholy smile playing on her lips. "It would be so much easier to stay, I honestly don't know how much more of this I can take…"

Lami frowned as she placed her head on Azarashi's shoulder. "Brother sure did make a mess of things didn't he."

"I don't know if I would call it a mess…" She said, her voice trailing off. It really was kind of a mess though, and sometimes she really missed that little boy who was so full of life. Nowadays he had become so absorbed in this whole Doflamingo thing that sometimes she wondered if he even truly cared about anything else. If he had just focused on being a doctor or whatever, things would have been much easier for her to stomach. It really was unsettling whenever she caught a glimpse of that sadistic side of him, and it bothered her more than she would like to admit that his life goal was vengence.

She let out a sigh, "What do you think about all this, Cora-san? About his vendetta against your brother?"

Looking down at her he offered her a small smile. "I cannot say that I agree with what he's doing with the life I gave him, but at the same time, it's kind of refreshing knowing that there's someone out there willing to put Doffy in his place."

A single tear escaped from the corner of her eye and slipped down her cheek before she roughly brushed it away. "What do I do? I'm so tired, so very tired of it all…" She glanced over at the small girl in her arms and looked over the brilliant blue sky to the snow covered fields, which were beckoning her to stay, telling her that she was home. "But… a part of me knows that if I just left him like this, he would be so broken, so alone… he must be so angry with me right now..." She chuckled softly. "Man he would kill me if I were really dead."

A giggle escaped Lami's lips. "Brother can't kill you if you're dead." She teased.

Azarashi shrugged a small smile on her lips, "Who knows, that man's capable of anything." Turning her attention back to Corazon, the smile faded. "What would you do in my position?"

He chuckled and shook his head at her. "Sorry love, this is not my decision to make. Just listen to your heart, there's nothing else you can do. I don't know where you're going, and I don't know why, but listen to your heart, before you tell him goodbye."

She looked at him with the saddest smile, a weariness in her eyes. "My heart," she said with a soft chuckle, "My heart is useless and broken, never really worked that well anyway… gave out on me at the most inopportune times… which is why I gave it away years ago… I wouldn't trust what my heart has to say, it always takes the side of that man."

"Don't be so hard on your heart. I'm sure it's perfect." He said giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze.

"Ha." She laughed dryly. "Now you sound like him. I'm just so sick of it, you know? My heart's not strong enough for me to fight effectively, my stamina is basically nil, and he does all these crazy and reckless things. Things that always make my heart want to stop, knowing I have no power to save him. So I do all that I can, all the crazy logistical stuff... tracking down your brother's underground network is no joke, not even with all the insight Law has… and just when I finally thought I had a chance, this happens… Oh I was so happy when he rescued me from my place as a broken doll, I was finally free, but sometimes I start to wonder if the price for my freedom was too high..."

Letting out another sigh, she hugged Lami tighter. "You're lucky Lami, you never had to see that side of him. You just get to hold on to his smile… sometimes I wish that I could see that smile again… he'll never be that pure again, even his most genuine smiles these days are shrouded in misery."

Returning her embrace, Lami gently petted her hair. "Brother's doing the best he can, I know you understand. He really has been happy these past five years." She could see the pleading in the little girl's eyes, unspoken words of ' _please don't leave him.'_

Corazon let out a sigh, "I get it, sometimes you wonder if this fight is worth while. The precious moments are all lost in the tide, they're swept away, and nothing is what it seems, that feeling of belonging to your dreams." There was a sadness in his voice, and she knew deep inside that he too did not want her to stay.

"Is it though? Do we even stand a chance against your brother?" She asked dolefully.

Lifting herself up, Lami placed her hands on Azarashi's shoulders, and looked at her with woeful eyes and a sad smile. "Please, listen to your heart, I know he's calling for you. Listen to your heart, there's nothing else you can do." She whispered, echoing Corazon's words. "I don't know where you're going, and I don't know why, but please, listen to your heart, before you tell him goodbye."

Azarashi's heart pounded in response, and she could feel it, even though it was so very far away. Her lonely heart which sat tucked away somewhere deep inside that yellow submarine. She wondered if he even remembered it was there, she chuckled at the thought, she had literally given it to him five years ago, and never once asked for it back. He had taken such good care of it, every now and then correcting its imperfections, helping it beat more smoothly, making her forget how imperfect it actually was.

She was grateful for everything he had given her, the freedom she had so desperately desired, the love and affection he showered upon her, things she had never even known were possible. She had vowed to follow him to the ends of the earth, she was willing to give everything she had to see him thrive, and she knew that this, that staying here would not be it. She doubted that he would ever really smile again if she just left him like this, knowing he would wither and become a shell of the man he was. Oh how she so desperately wished that he could just break away from all that anger and bitterness, that he too could experience uninhibited freedom. No, she could not stay here, despite how badly she wanted to, she knew she could not stay. If she stayed, then that freedom she longed for him to have would be lost to him forever.

Setting Lami back down onto the ground she gave the little girl one last kiss on the forehead before she stood up again, her eyes turned up to meet Corazon's. "I'm going." She said sadly. "He needs me more than my desire to stay."

A smile broke out across his face. "I'm glad." He said pulling her into a hug. "Tell him I'm proud of the man he's become for me, okay? Tell him we'll always be here, watching over him."

She nodded into his chest, the tears finally falling freely. "I will." She whispered, "Assuming I survive long enough to do so."

Giving her one last squeeze he released her, and she reluctantly turned to go, gasping as her eyes fluttered open and Doflamingo's sadistic smile shone down on her. She could taste the blood in her mouth, and every part of her body screamed in agony as his strings pulled through her.

"Fuffuffuffuffuffuffu, the little lady has a strong will to live." Doflamingo laughed, retracting his strings, causing her body to fall limply to the floor with a heavy thump. "How fun."

Searing pain shot her body, and her brain could not even begin to register what was happening. Another sadistic laugh floated through the air, her head reeling as she attempted to make out his words. Try as she might she struggled to stay awake and focused, as a sheet of strings came bounding toward her, wrapping her in a cocoon.

"Buffalo, come take the little lady. Baby5, please go take care of the rest of the crew on this ship."

"You're not going to kill her, Doffy?" Baby5 asked in confusion.

"Fuffuffuffuffuffuffu," Doflamingo laughed again, "Oh, no, this is much more amusing. I think I'll leave her like this, just incase our little Law decides to come back and take his seat. When that time comes, I'll return his little heart to him."

* * *

 ** _a/n: This chapter has been brought to you by Roxette's - Listen to your heart. Hope it's stuck in your head now. Haha. Thanks for all the love and support thus far, it's much appreciated._**


	7. Keep Holding On

"Captain, you can't be serious!" Shachi exclaimed, slamming his hands onto the table, rattling the half eaten plates.

Wanting to say something, but thinking better it, Bepo just lowered his head silently. He really did not have anything to offer. His Captain had already confided with him his desire to go off on his own. It worried the bear, but at the same time he knew his Captain, and he knew that if there was anyone in the world who could pull this off, it was probably his Captain, and maybe that Strawhat fellow.

"Shachi -ya, sit down." Law said, his voice void of any emotion. He was too tired to argue with them, it was not like he liked his decision any more than they did. "I'll meet up with you guys at Zou."

"I know." Shachi whined, "but before then you'll be all alone. Anything can happen."

He let out a sigh while he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Anything can happen even if you guys are with me. We'll attract a lot less attention this way. The last thing I want is for Joker to be alerted."

"But…" Shachi started.

"Enough!" Law shouted, cutting off Shachi. "I'm done talking about this."

"C'mon just drop it." Penguin said, tugging at his friend's sleeve. "We don't like any more than you, but if we ever want to see Azarashi again…"

Shachi glared down at Penguin, refusing to let it go. It was far too risky for Law to go alone, they had already lost Azarashi to Joker, he refused to lose his Captain as well. "How can you guys all just go along with this!?"

"How can you not?" Penguin countered. "Do you not trust Captain to take care of himself?"

"Of course I do!"

"So what's the problem?"

"The problem!?" Shachi yelled in exasperation, "the problem is it's Joker we're talking about here. Joker."

"Look, I'm grateful for your concern, Shachi-ya." Law said, calming down. "But we're just talking about recon here, and if things go to plan, I won't have to be the one to deal with Joker, Kaido will."

The redhead pouted, but sat down. He still did not like it. The whole thing seemed like a bad idea, then again this whole vendetta against Joker seemed like a bad idea, but it is what his Captain wants, and who was he to argue. Everyone seemed to be okay with it, even Azarashi, although she did share her apprehensions with him once, but in the end she still went along with his crazy scheme. He sighed and picked at his food, his appetite lost as thoughts of what might happen resounded in his mind. _If things go as planned._ Stupidest line ever, things never go as planned, not in the Grand Line, and especially not when they are dealing with someone like Joker.

Law knew that they would not have agreed, but he was actually surprised that Shachi spoke up. He had grown so accustomed to their unwavering loyalty, that Shachi's slight insubordination caught him off guard, but he knew it came from a place of love. All Shachi did was voice everyone's concerns, including his own.

The weeks slipped by them quickly, and Shachi did not broach the subject of him leaving again. It was not that the man had come to terms with the plan, but it was because he knew that there was no changing his Captain's mind, and he rather not incur his wrath.

Law found that as the time to leave drew ever closer, that knot in his stomach grew tighter, and a little part of him was terrified of what was to come, although he would never let it show. It was surprisingly easier than he had expected to receive his Shichibukai title, the Marines were terrified of him, which he found laughable. Granted he had a deep seeded loathing for the Marines, well anyone even remotely associated with the World Government, but it did not necessarily mean he was a horrid human being. If anyone asked his crew, they would tell them that he was practically a saint, someone who had saved them all from a fate worse than dying.

However he wished it were true, that he really was some glorified being, but he knew better. He was broken, and bitter, and hated the injustice of it all. He hated that the so-called good guys allowed innocents to suffer at the hands of the strong, that their so-called order was just controlled chaos. People were so blinded by their beliefs that they cared little for the collateral damage it caused, Marineford was a testament to that. He was no different though, yes, he picked up and set free a few men who were once abused, shackled or abandoned as he once was, but that did not absolve him of all the actual harm he inflicted on others, as an ends to a means.

Letting out a sigh he sunk into his bed, his father would be so disappointed in him, that much he knew. Once upon a time he wanted to be the best doctor in the North Blue, no the World, and sure, he was an acclaimed doctor, who with the help of the Ope Ope No Mi, could perform any surgery ever, although all that did was earn him the nickname of the Surgeon of Death. A fitting name, since he knew that he had chosen to do more harm than good. Sure he helped people here and there, whenever the fancy struck, or an operation was just too intriguing to pass up, but for the most part, he used his skill to inflict damage.

How had things turned out this way? It was never his intention to inflict so much pain, well that was not entirely true. For a moment in time it was most definitely his intention to destroy as much of the world that he could, but that chapter of his life had been brought to an end by Corazon. Corazon had shown him that there were still people out there worth fighting for, worth loving, worth being loved by. His death was a stab through his heart, and for a moment there he had been so consumed by his grief he did not think he would be able to recover, but then he met Bepo. Bepo that broken, abused, abandoned bear, who, when he found him, was in a state much worse than him. Together they had overcome their adversities and an unshakeable bond formed between them, resulting in the formation of the Heart Pirates. They were so happy and carefree back then, finding Bepo, Shachi and Penguin, and that broken down submarine, was the best thing to ever happen to him after Corazon's passing. It had taken his mind off his grief, and together they restored that submarine as they restored their own hearts, creating for themselves a sanctuary.

Happiness and peace never lasted long for him though, and as always misery caught up with him. As they travelled around the North Blue, helping some, destroying others, honing their skill and lethality, they had come to discover that the had one underlying thing in common. They were all broken, for different reasons, but they were all broken, and the reason why they all fit together so perfectly in that perfect little puzzle which reshaped his heart, was because they were all broken by the same person. Each and every one of them had parts of their lives and happiness destroyed by Doflamingo or his crew. Learning this he had decided that he was going to dedicate his life to destroying that man, to making him feel all the pain and misery he felt the day he murdered Corazon.

It was clear to him now, the reason why things had turned out this way was all because of him. He had no one else but himself to blame for that gaping hole in his heart where she once thrived. If only he had listened to that little voice inside his head, that voice that always seemed to be right, that voice that he always ignored. Then he would not have to be in the place he was now, he could have been free. Free to love, free to live, free to spend his days in an endless summer haze with the one person who could make his heart sing and the world seem golden and bright. Oh how he took those blissful days for granted, and now once again that wretched man had stolen his joy from him again, but this time, he refused to let her meet the same fate as Corazon.

Closing his eyes he held that tattered little germ trap close, relishing the fact that her scent still lingered. He needed to fix the mess he created with this unnecessary vendetta of his, although he found calling it unnecessary a little extreme. He needed to avenge Corazon's death, and to rid the world of the monster known as Donquixote Doflamingo, but he refused to allow her life to be the price.

By morning they would reach Punk Hazard, and he only had one chance to make things right. He was terrified that he had miscalculated something along the way, terrified that he would be sending her to her death, terrified that he would never see Bepo and the others again, terrified of what tomorrow would bring.

" _Hey," her soft, loving voice draws his attention away from the book he had been reading._

 _He smiles as she slowly approaches him, taking slow sensual strides as she closed this distance between them. When she finally stands before him, he takes her into his arms, placing a light kiss on her forehead as he draws her to him. "Hey." He mimics lovingly._

 _Wrapping her arms around his neck she nuzzles him with her nose as she smiles against his face. "I've missed you."_

" _I'm sorry." He breathes, inhaling her intoxicating scent as his hands roam down the sides of her body._

" _Don't be." She replies, feathering kisses down his neck and across his jaw. "It's my fault really. I'm sorry I left you alone for so long."_

" _Alone." He whispers into her hair. "I'm so scared Azarashi-ya, I haven't been alone in so long..."_

 _Her arms tighten around his neck as she pulls herself closer, placing a fervent kiss on his lips. When they finally pull apart for some much needed air, she looks him in the eyes, reassuring him. "You're not alone, together we stand, I'll be by your side, you know I'll take your hand. When it gets cold, and it feels like the end… when there's no place to go, you know I'll be right there... Besides, I was told to tell you by someone that they're always with you, watching over you, protecting you."_

 _He gives her a quizzical look, "What? Who?"_

" _Corazon and Lami." She says placing a light kiss on his nose. "Cora-san also told me to tell you he is proud of the man you've become."_

" _Is that so," he muses. "And pray tell love, when did you speak with Cora-san?"_

 _She exhales, as a sadness passes through her eyes. She did not have to disclose the location for him to know, that look in her eye spoke volumes. "I'm sorry." Was all she could say, her voice quivering with emotion, "I was so stupid…"_

" _No, don't say that." He interrupts as he plants another kiss on her forehead. "It was my fault you went to such extremes…"_

 _A slight pout forms on her lips as she wipes at the tears threatening to fall. "I don't get it. I mean I do get it, but I don't. Why does this matter so much to you anyway? You should be doing so much more with your life… revenge is such a silly thing."_

" _You're one to talk." He replies with a halfhearted glare, a slight hint of irritation in his voice._

 _Letting out a scoff she rolls her eyes at him. "Ask a guy to murder your parents once… and he holds it against you for life…"_

 _His hands finds her hips as he pulls her closer to him, "I can hold many things against you." He whispers seductively in her ear, eliciting a shudder from her body._

" _Oh?" She breaths, "Good thing Bepo's not here to kill the mood." She says with a laugh._

" _Woman, now is not the time to bring up that bear." He growls._

" _It's always a good time to bring up Bepo." She retorts, "So fluffy." He glowers at her, even without having to physically be there, Bepo somehow manages to effectively kill the mood._

 _The laugh she lets out in response to his scowl, makes his heart smile. It is so cheerful and pure, so full of life and innocence, and it fills his soul with so much peace. It has been so long since he could remember feeling like this, and being here with her like this, he can feel his apprehensions slipping away._

 _When she finally stops laughing, she presses her lips upon his again, coaxing a smile out of him. Oh how he missed the taste of her mouth, of her skin. She is sugar and spice, and everything nice. Deepening the kiss, his tongue explores the inside of her mouth, as he tangles his hands into her hair._

 _Breaking for air he gazes into her lust filled eyes before he attacks her neck and continues to explore ever inch of her body with his tongue. Finding his way back to those golden eyes of hers, he found that in them he could see the whole world, and so he pours his heart into her hands, losing himself in her sweet embrace. Time stood still for them as they lost and found themselves in each other again and again. Words can not begin to describe that sensation of utter bliss he was feeling when he finally collapses on top of her, exhausted and spent._

 _As he comes down from that euphoric high he was having, he pushes himself off of her as a sense of dread comes creeping back into his mind. "What am I going to do, Azarashi-ya?" He asks, burying his face into her neck. "I can't lose you again."_

 _She gently strokes his hair, "I know." She whispers in his ear. Finding her voice she sadly says, "Keep holding on, 'cause you know we'll make it throug. Just stay strong, 'cause you know I'm here for you. So whatever you do, please, just keep holding on."_

 _Her words are ominous, and it did not sit well with him. He did not like that tone in her voice, that melancholy which reverberated within him. She is supposed to be his revelry, but instead his anxieties robs him of his joy._

" _What if…"_

 _She cuts him off with a kiss. "Hear me when I say, when I say I believe... Nothing's gonna change, nothing's gonna change destiny. Whatever's meant to be will work out perfectly."_

" _Do you really believe that?"_

 _Offering him a small smile she pulls him closer. "Yeah, I believe that. We'll make it through, so keep holding on."_

Reluctantly he opened his eyes, the dream still lingering, her words resounding in his head. He silently cursed the morning sun and tossed the sheets off of him, mourning the empty space beside him. He was going to bring her back to him, or die trying.

Breakfast that morning was solemn, not a word was spoken as they all quietly ate their food, dragging out the inevitable. He refused to acknowledge any of them, averting his gaze whenever he felt their heavy stares, he was not sure if he could keep the mask in place if he did.

This incomplete group of men and women, and well bear, meant more to him than anything else in the world, and he was going to do everything in his power to make them complete again. For the first time ever he finally understood Doflamingo's ridiculous 'Rule of Blood,' because if anyone were to lay a finger on any member of his _family_ he too would stop at nothing to destroy them. He needed them to be safe, out of harm's way as he sought to restore to them their heart, his heart. How he was still unsure, it was not like Doflamingo was a man who could be reasoned with, still there must be something he could do.

Approaching the undisclosed island, their suspicions were confirmed when they caught sight of a large tanker departing from what seemed to be a hidden cove. The letters S.A.D. were printed in big bold letters on one side, the Donquixote Pirates' jolly roger painted not too far from it. The sight made his heart swell, as Azarashi had been right about this place, not that he really doubted her, over the years she had proved that when it came to gathering intelligence or navigating diplomatic relations, her skill was unparalleled. He had always lacked the grace and finesse necessary to properly extract information from others, his tactics were usually more direct and violent, and it made him wonder if he would really be able to talk his way in and uncover the information he needed to bring Doflamingo to his knees.

When they finally made it into the little cove, surfacing the submarine became an excruciating task. Mainly due to the fact, that at one point he literally had to banish Bepo from the command center as every time he tried to surface, the bear would reverse the controls, causing them to dive again. He did not blame him though, there were many times he wanted to do it himself, dive and sail far, far away, where he could just pretend none of this was actually happening, but he had come too far and was in too deep to turn back now.

Making his way up to the deck he made it a point to avoid everyone, and just as he was about to disembark, Shachi and Penguin came barrelling toward him, followed closely by Bepo, holding a relatively large backpack.

"What's this?" He insisted, as the pack was shoved into his arms.

"Extra clothes, just incase you did not pack enough, you probably didn't." Shachi huffed, breathlessly, gesturing toward the small sack which hung off Kikoku.

"Threw in a couple of extra things too…" Penguin added, his hands on his knees as he attempted to catch his breath.

"I'm sorry." Bepo said, unsuccessfully holding back his tears. "Did you really think we'd let you leave without saying good bye!?"

"I'll be back soon." He said, containing the emotion in his voice as he gently placed a hand on the polar bear's large, furry, head, the words ' _so fluffy_ ' resounding in his mind.

Bepo choked back a sob as he enveloped his Captain in a tight hug, Shachi and Penguin attempting to join in, but were thwarted by the large frame of the bear, and all they could do was hang off his arms. "Don't forget about us, Captain!" The bear cried, his tears soaking the collar of Law's jacket.

"I could never forget you guys." He replied, refusing to allow his emotions to take over him. If he lost it now, there was no way he would be able to step foot off that submarine. "Remember, head to Zou and stay safe."

"We will Captain!" They all cried, as Bepo reluctantly released him.

Shouldering the extra pack he took one last look at the three of them and the vessel he had called home for the past ten years and solemnly made his way toward what remained of the Punk Hazard factories. He was not sure what the future would bring, the only thing he was certain of was the fact that he was on the right path.

The last words she spoke to him in that dream still lingered in his mind, _so far away, I wish you were here, before it's too late, this could all disappear. Before the doors close, and it comes to an end, with you by my side I will fight and defend. I'll fight and defend._ She was still holding on, how he did not know, but he was glad that she was still out there waiting for him, and he prayed to every and any God who would listen, that whatever's meant to be will truly work out perfectly.

* * *

 _ **a/n: Chapter has been brought to you by Avril Lavigne's 'Keep Holding On'. With this we are brought to Punk Hazard, where the rest is mostly canon... we're near the end friends, thanks for taking this journey with me.**_


	8. Punk Hazard

Punk Hazard.

He had found it easy enough to talk his way in. That Caesar Clown was a fool, and his secretary Monet, well she seemed harmless enough, and was even willing to go as far as give him her heart. All in all, infiltrating Punk Hazard seemed to be easier than he had anticipated. Whether that was a good or bad thing, he had still yet to determine.

The days slipped by easy enough, and he fulfilled his end of the bargain by giving Caesar's subordinates their new legs, and return was given free reign to roam the island. Although he was rather unsuccessful at finding the actual S.A.D. production room, he was able to make preparations that would make things easier for himself if and when something would possibly go awry. All in all he had no real complaints, and for the most part everyone left him alone.

Things were coming along nicely, though he would have liked it if it would progress just a bit faster. Before he knew it months have slipped by, and he was beginning to get anxious, even though he had not run into any problems, he could not help but feel uneasy. Everything was going too smoothly, and that little voice inside his head told him that it was all going to go to shit soon. Forcing that voice aside he continued his covert search, yielding empty results. He knew the S.A.D. production facility was somewhere, but no matter how hard he tried, he simply could not access it, at least not without drawing suspicion toward himself.

There were days when he believed this was all a fruitless endeavor, and that he should just pack up and go home, but then that ridiculous snow leopard that Penguin had packed into his things, would catch his eye and he would remember why he was doing this to begin with. Goddamn SMILEs. He could not wait for the day that he can bring that insane man to his knees. So he kept moving forward, stalking that place in hopes of finding something useful.

Luckily for him, it would seem that fate was on his side, as just when he felt like all hope was lost, he stumbled upon the most improbable person, and possibly the only person in existence who could possibly make this asinine plan work. He was not sure how to feel about this particular change in plans though, Strawhat was wild and unpredictable, a loose cannon of sorts, and although he might tip the scales in his favor, he might also throw a monkey wrench into the fray and subsequently take everything down.

Still, it was worth a shot so he took a gamble and offered to form an alliance with the Strawhat boy and hope for the best. Returning to Laboratory Three, he sought to fulfill his end of bargain, and help Chopper gain access to the information he needed to save those children. Unfortunately, as he was leading Monet out of that room and down the hall, he felt his heart clench and stumbled onto the floor, writhing in pain as the long shadow of a man he had despised with his whole being came into view.

His appearance was not a good sign, and the fact that he revealed that Monet was a member of that reprehensible family was even worse. If Joker had known all this time that he as here, what would that mean for Azarashi? A slight panic passed through him as he panted from the pain, "What is that supposed to mean...?!" He managed to get out in between pants. "What have I done to harm you people?!"

"If you had already caused us harm, then you would not be living right now. But you should learn that keeping secrets from adults is fruitless, Law. The truth always comes out."

How long has it been since he was dropped off, how many months has passed? What was the current state of her heart? He knew he should have brought it with him, just so he could know that Joker had not done anything crazy yet, but he also knew it was too risky. Her heart was safer deep within the confines of that yellow submarine, protected by Bepo and the others, it would have been stupid for him to of brought it here. Vergo's words were somewhat comforting though, and it would appear that his appearance here happened to be a coincidence, so perhaps everything was still okay, but it would mean he would have to end things now.

"... In that case…" Reaching for his nodachi he decided that it was now or never. "I'll just have to dispose of you right now." _Joker cannot find out_.

His efforts were futile though, and he let out a scream as Vergo closed his fist around his heart, "Oh, yes… one thing I forgot to say. Watch your mouth..." He saw stars as that bamboo stick came crashing down upon him, "It's Vergo-san to you."

Letting out a puff of air he attempted to get up again, he could not, would not allow things to end like this, not when her life was on the line.

"Hm, this is much more fun than watching Doffy kill that girl." Vergo stated calmly as the haki hardened stick came crashing down upon him again.

The blow was not much different than the previous one, and honestly he probably could have withstood it, but it was those last words which tumbled out of that man's mouth that hit him right in the heart. He refused to believe it, but in that moment his will gave out, and before the next blow came crashing down upon him the darkness descended around him.

 _Fire._

 _All he sees before him is fire. Gasping for air through the thick smoke he claws his way across the room toward the window._

 _Air._

 _He needs air, each intake of breath is becoming more and more painful than the last. Grabbing onto the ledge he hoists himself up and out the window. Falling onto a cold, soft blanket of snow. The snow is fluttering all around him now like ash, but it fills his lungs with a cold crisp air. He sighs, grateful to be away from all that smoke and fire._

 _He glances up at the building, tears welling in his eyes as he recognizes the old hospital. Flames bursting out of all the windows, and he could almost hear Lami's screams as the fire engulfs the building._

 _The pain he feels is real, it is raw, and a scream tears through his body as he continues to lie there, staring up at the burning building. Mother, father, Lami, all dead, all inside that building, burning. His friends, the loving sisters, the townspeople, the whole town, burning. Burning like the tears currently streaming down his face._

" _Law, get up."_

 _He blinks, that voice, he knows that voice. Sitting up he frantically looks about, searching for the source of that voice, the burning building fading in the distance, a warmth suddenly filling him. He tries to speak, but nothing comes out. He tries again, but is once again met with silence._

" _Law, you have to get away from here."_

 _That voice again. Where was he hiding, why could he not find him? Standing up he realizes that the snow surrounding him is stained red, with blood, with_ his _blood. The tears begin to fall again, as that broken smile flashes across his mind, that ridiculous, blood-stained, broken smile. He tries to yell that man's name, his throat raw from screaming, but all he is met with is silence._

 _A ship pulls up in the distance, the long crooked neck of a flamingo sends shivers down his spine. Cora-san was right, he has to get away from here. He starts running, as fast as he can, he runs from that place, from those people, from_ him. _A sinister laugh breaks out around him, overwhelming him. He covers his ears, screaming for it to stop, but his voice does not come out, and that laugh only gets louder._

 _Louder and louder._

 _It was driving him mad, that laugh. He needed it to stop, but it just keeps going, and he just keeps running, running, until he suddenly plunges into the ice cold sea._

 _The sound of the rushing waves washes over him, drowning out that laugh. He is sinking now, deeper and deeper into the sea, a calm surrounding him as the waters envelop him. He does not even try to swim, and just allows the sea to take him. Anything, even drowning was better than that laugh. Closing his eyes he feels a pair of arms come around him, pulling him up toward the surface._

" _Bepo-ya?" He says as he is tossed onto the sandbar, a smile breaking out across his face._

 _The polar bear just stares down at him, tears welling in his eyes as his mouth quivers. "You… you were suppose to save her…" He says accusingly, as he wipes at his eyes, a heart clutched in his paw._

 _The smile on his face fades quickly. The heart is still. "I tried, Bepo-ya!" He cries, "I tried." The tears start again, that raw, piercing pain, flaring up inside of him again._

" _Well you clearly didn't try hard enough." Shachi says, coming up next to Bepo. "If you really loved her you wouldn't have thrown her life away for some stupid vendetta."_

" _It's not stupid!" He finds himself screaming at Shachi. "You don't know what that man did! He NEEDS to be stopped!"_

" _I don't know what that man did!?" Shachi yells back at him. "Of course I know what that man did! He hurt me too you know. He hurt all of us… do you see us letting him consume our souls!? NO! But you… you sold her to the devil just so you could 'get your revenge'! What good that did! THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT! She didn't even want to chase after him, she thought it was pointless too, she_ hated _what he was doing to you… but did you even notice? Did you even care? No!"_

" _STOP IT!" He screams, refusing to listen to anymore of this. How dare Shachi accuse him of not caring, of not loving her. What did he know? She was his heart, his life, his everything._

 _Bepo shakes his head sadly at him, "You were supposed to save her…" He says again, his tears matting the fur on his face._

" _I'm sorry." He whispers, hanging his head, unable to stop the tears flowing down his face. "I tried… I never wanted this to happen…"_

" _You're despicable, Captain."_

 _He shakes his head, trying to drown out their words. He could not take it anymore, this contempt they had for him, it was too much. He had taken their love for granted, he had believed that they would always love him, no matter what, but how could he possibly come back from this? Shachi was right, this was all his fault… if only… if only…_

" _If only what, love?"_

 _His head shot up at the sound of her voice, it was impossible, she is dead, but there she is, standing in front of him. Bepo and Shachi were gone, and in their place she stood, offering to him that smile of hers._

" _Do you hate me?" He asks her apprehensively, terrified of what her answer might be._

" _I don't think that's possible." She replies, taking a seat next to him._

 _He pulls her into his arms, holding her tight against him as his head falls onto her shoulder. "They all hate me now…"_

" _Who? Your crew?" She asks, running her hands across his arms. "I don't think that's possible either. I think it's all in your head."_

" _Well I hate me." He says softly._

 _Shifting her position, she forces him to raise his head, cupping his face gently with her hands. "Well don't. Did I not tell you that nothing's gonna change destiny? That whatever's meant to be will work out perfectly?"_

 _He shakes his head, "Yes, but-"_

" _But nothing." She says, cutting him off. "We'll make it through, so keep holding on."_

His eyes snapped open, and the first thing he noticed was the floor. It would seem that he was still thrown over Monet's shoulder as they made their way back to the main room. Upon entering he noticed that the Marine Vice Admiral Smoker and his female Captain had been captured, along with Strawhat and Nico Robin, and that robot from his crew… the name was escaping him. Staying as still as he could he thanked the gods that he had yet to be constrained. Quickly activating his ROOM he created a sphere large enough to encompass the whole island, and subtly switched out the remaining kairoseki chains in the room with normal ones.

Perhaps Azarashi had been right when she said that nothing was going to change destiny, that whatever was meant to be will actually work out perfectly. He could not imagine how though, considering the fact that she was gone. Even though he did succeed with his plan to take down Joker and throw the entire New World into disarray, all would be naught if she were not by his side. How could he have been so foolish to believe that he could actually save her, that he could somehow outsmart Joker and take him down and get her back. Unfortunately he did not have the time to dwell upon it now, he had to focus on getting out and not let her sacrifice go to waste.

He refused to let them get to him any longer, choosing to be snarky instead, inciting more rage out of them. The angrier they grew, the more overconfident they will become, and when that happens, they will slip up. It was all he could do for now, and so he continued to insult them as he bid his time, waiting for perfect opportunity to escape.

Although admittedly, it probably was not the _best_ idea to continue insulting them, since they did literally have his heart in their hands, and were more than willing to torture him with it. Still there was nothing they could possibly do that could possibly hurt him more than what Vergo had already said, and knowing that, he was more than willing to do whatever it took now to bring Joker to his knees. In fact, if he could have it his way, he would like to just take Joker's head.

Creating a smoke screen and escaping was far easier than he thought, although it irked him that Strawhat was as reckless as ever, and honestly, his crew was probably even worse. How they managed to stay alive and well thus far was beyond him, all they ever did was barrel through the place without a care in the world, no plans, no agenda, moving purely by instinct. It was maddening how someone could survive like that, fate must really be smiling down on that guy.

Speaking of fate, ever since Strawhat arrived, things had been progressing far quicker than he ever thought possible. How many months had he passed since he first landed on this island, all he accomplished in those months were small minuscule preparations, but with the appearance of one person, well nine people, his plans have been propelled into action in a way he never even dreamed possible.

Cutting down Vergo was perhaps the most satisfying part of his day, and it was honestly hard to believe that he had a Marine to thank for that. It was right for him to spare that man's life, good things indeed came to those who did good deeds, and before he knew it Caesar had been secured and the S.A.D. had been destroyed. The island spared, and everyone was celebrating, unfortunately he could find no reason to celebrate, setting aside the fact that they really had no time to celebrate, for the gears have been set into motion, and it was only a matter of time that Joker himself would come after them, but how could he possibly celebrate a victory which had cost him everything?

* * *

 _ **a/n: Sorry sorry sorry this took so long... I have a chapter 8 curse... that and when researching Doflamingo to get his personality correct for the previous chapter, I kind of sort fell down his rabbit hole and got tangled up in his strings... Doffy got me good... but I'm out now... I think... sort of, and can focus on Law again. Sorry Law... I'll try to be more faithful. :) Hope it was worth the wait.**_


End file.
